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A PLEA r^-... 



Higher 

Education of Catholic Young Men 

of America. 



WITH AN 



Kxposure of the Frauds of the University of 
Notre Dame, Ind. 



PRECEDED BY 

A Circular IvKTTEr to the; Archbishops, Bishops and 
Prominent Clergy of the United States. 



CHARIvBS YENl^ZilANI, A. M., Ph. D. (Heidelberg). 
Professor at the Univerf ity of Notre Dame from '96 to '99. 



u 



hil^iof 



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56(!25 



Copyrighted 1900 

CHARI<ES VENE2flANI, A. M., Ph. D. 
Chicago, III. 



TWO COPIES RECEIVED, 

library of Corjg?ei% 
Office of tjjo 

FEB 1-1900 

Register of Copfrlgfefs, 






SECOND 



COPV, 






CONTENTS. 



Circular to the Archbishops, Bishops and prominent 

members of the CathoHc Hierarchy of America.... i 

Testimonials 3 

Open letter to the Very Reverend J. A. Zahm, Ph. D., 
Provincial of the Congregation of the Holy Cross 
and President of the Board of Trustees of the Uni- 
versity of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 7 

Brief History of my connection with the University of 

Notre Dame ii 

Plea for the higher education of Catholic Young Men. . .22-55 

Origin of Catholic Colleges 24 

Why Catholic Colleges and Universities controlled by re- 
ligious Congregations cannot dispense the bread of 

higher education 25 

Brother Professors in the University of Notre Dame. ... 26 

Priests Professors in the University of Notre Dame 2^ 

Laymen Professors in the University of Notre Dame. ... 28 
Evils resulting from religious Congregations controlling 

the higher education of Catholic Young Men 31 

Remedy of these evils and the Catholicity of the new 

Catholic Colleges of the future 51 

First communication of the author to the Board of Trus- 
tees of the University of Notre Dame 55 

Answer to the first communication 62 

Second communication 63 

Letter of the President of the University to the Author. . 65 

Answer 65 

My protest in the faculty meeting against allowing my 

name being used as Professor of Romance Languages 70 
Third communication to the Board of Trustees of the 
University of Notre Dame 82 



Circular to the Archbisliops, Bishops and Prominent Members of 
the Catholic Hierarchy of America. 



Most Reverend Sir: 

I deem it my duty to present you with a copy of my 
"Plea for the higher education of the CathoHc young 
men of America." I have not the least doubt that 
the plan expounded in this book of having Catholic 
colleges and universities in every State with Bishops 
as presidents of the board of trustees and learned lay- 
men as professors, will meet with your approval. 

This book is not only useful for advocating this plan 
and showing how easily these new Catholic colleges 
could be started, it may be also useful in correcting 
abuses and frauds which would not be tolerated in any 
institution of learning, and which should not certain- 
ly be found in a Catholic university. 

It will most certainly be the cause of putting a stop 
to one of the blackest frauds, whereby the University 
of Notre Dame, with the connivance and abettment of 
Very Rev. Dr. Zahm, Provincial of the congregation 
of the Holy Cross, and President of the Board of 
Trustees, allures within her halls Spanish speaking 
young men, holding out the inducement of a post 
graduate course leading to the degree of Doctor of 
Philosophy and several Doctors degrees on imaginary 
conditions, in her Spanish catalogue, thus prostituting 
the prestige a religious congregation enjoys in the 
eyes of Catholic nations in order to obtain their 
money under false pretense. 

The University of Notre Dame does not dare to 
print such patent falsehoods about Doctors degrees, 
etc., in her English catalogue, although of later date 
and much largfer. 



2 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

The Catholic University of Notre Dame, after the 
pubHcation of this book will never dismiss a layman 
Professor for addressing the Board of Trustees, asking 
that the written statements of the President be made 
true, because in the future no President of the Catho- 
lic University of Notre Dame will ever write false 
statements to a layman Professor when engaging him. 

The Catholic University ot Notre Dame, after the 
publication of this book, will never rob her waiter 
students of the instruction due to them, nor use this 
robbing as a pretext to try to rob her layman Profes- 
sor of 2-5 of his salary of $600 per year. 

The good accomplished by this book, however, may 
be counterbalanced by the evil of increasing the preju- 
dices against the clergy, which are unfortunately too 
strong in the minds of some of our non-Catholic 
brethren. 

Being a layman, without much experience of men 
and their way of thinking, I am not able to decide this 
difficult point, and therefore I address you, leaving the 
decision to you. I shall listen with respect to the 
opinion of the prominent members of the clergy, and I 
shall consider the advice of the Archbishops and Bish- 
ops as a command. 

If the exposure of the fraudulent methods employed 
by the University of Notre Dame be deemed harmful 
to the interests of Cathoficity, I will withold my book 
from the public. In case of disapproval I trust you 
will promptly inform me. 

Very Respectfully, 
CHAS. VENk^'lANI, 117 S. St. Louis St., 

South Bend, Ind. 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 3 

Testimonial ot the Very Reverend James French, 
■Vice-President and Director of Studies of the Uni- 
versity of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana. 

Being the Director of. Studies I am situated so as 
learn and see the effects of the Professor's method in 
teaching, and I must say, as far as I could see, he is 
one who takes great pleasure in imparting knowledge 
to others, and posseses the facility of eliciting much 
study and work from his pupils. He is a conscientious 
instructor and punctual to duty. He is a university 
scholar and of his ability there can be no question. 

JAMES FRENCH. 
St. Mary's Academy, 
Salt Lake City, Utah, 

Aug. 25, 1894. 
Having learned with extreme regret that the bearer, 
Professor Chas. Veneziani, is about to leave this city 
with the intention of continuing his work of teaching 
elsewhere, it gives me great pleasure to testify to 
his high personal character and his great merit as an 
instructor. For a year past he has given a course in 
Latin to a number of teachers in this institution, with 
the most satisfactory results. 

I most cordially recommend him to any one desiring 
a teacher of exceptional ability and irreproachable 
character. 

I am, very sincerely, 

SISTER SUPERIOR. 
Nautical Alrhanac Office, 
Bureau of Navigation, Navy Depai'-ment, 

Washington, D. C, April 25, 1885. 
I have been favorably acquainted with Dr. Vene- 
ziani for more than a year. He has attended the math- 



4 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

ematical lectures at the Johns Hopkins University, 
my own included, during the present college year. He. 
is an Italian by birth, Doctor of Philosophy at the 
University of Heidelberg, and a very able mathema- 
tician, as shown by a recent number of the American 
Journal of Mathematics. He has also had some ex- 
perience in teaching methematics in this country. His 
personal character, as well as his scientific abilities, is 
of the best. I would cordially recommend him to any 
institution where the instruction of somewhat mature 
pupils in mathematics is desired. 

S. NEWCOMB. 
American Journal of Mathematics, 

Johns Hopkins University, 
Baltimore, May 12, 1885. 

I take great pleasure in being able to recommend 
Dr. Carlo Veneziani for the position of Professor of 
Mathematics. 

Dr. Veneziani is a graduate of the University of 
Heidelberg, and has also studied in Paris and other 
continental universities. During the past academic 
year (1884-85) he has been working in the Johns Hop- 
kins University and I have personally seen a great 
deal of him. 

Dr. Veneziani is a well trained mathematician and 
possesses a high degree of mathematical talent ; in ad- 
dition he possesses the ability to impart instruction in 
a marked degree. I repeat it affords me the greatest 
pleasure to be able to testify to the above statements. 

THOMAS CRAIG, 
Associated Professor of Mathematics in the Johns 

Hopkins University an'3 Associate Editor of the 

American Journal of Mathematics. 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. i) 

I had the pleasure of knowing Mr. C. Veneziani 
since his entering the Johns Hopkins University, and 
can attest that his knowledge of ancient and modern 
French literature renders him very competent as a 
professor of the French language. Though a foreign- 
er by birth, I judge by our frequent conversations that 
his accent is excellent. 

LEONCE RABILLON, 
French Lecturer of Johns Hopkins University. 

Boston University, 
Boston, April 22, 1886. 

This may certify that Sig. Carlo Veneziani, Ph. iD., 
has been employed nearly three terms as instructor in 
Italian and Spanish in the College of Liberal Arts of 
Boston University. Beginning under some embarrass- 
ments from lack of entire familiarity with the English 
language, he has constantly improved in this respect 
and has shown the promise of real excellence in the 
teacher's work. We hope to retain his service the 
coming year, but if a better position is open to him 
would gladly be of assistance to him in obtaining it. 

Sincerely, 

W. F. WARREN, 

President Boston University. 
University of Texas Library, 

Austin, Texas, June 22, 1888. 

This is to certify that Dr. Chas. Veneziani has been 
associated with me for two years as Instructor of Mod- 
ern Languages. As to his acquirements in the field of 
mathematics and of the classics others more compe- 
tent than I have very favorably passed upon them. In 
Modern Lansfuasres I have found him a most excellent 



6 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

scholar, and what goes ahnost without saying, a per- 
fect gentleman in every respect. 

H. TALLICHET, 
Professor Modern Languages. 
University of California, 
Berkeley, Feb. 26, 1890. 

I take great pleasure in testifying that Dr. Carlo 
Veneziani, who was temporary instructor in Mathe- 
matics at the University of California during the re- 
cent ,illness of Associate Prof. Clarke, proved himself 
by his work in that capacity, to be an accomplished 
mathematical scholar and a thoroughly reliable man. 
A careful examination of the records of his work has 
convinced me that every duty assigned him was fafth- 
fully performed under all circumstances. 

Scholarly modesty is one of Dr. Veneziani's good 
traits of character, his qualification in Mathematics are 
all that he has ever laid claim to. Considerations of 
this nature lead me to believe that he is a ^iian whose 
word can always be relied on. 

IRVING STRINGHAM. 
Professor of Mathematics, University of California. 

Extract from the testimonial of J. B. Toronto, Vice- 
President, and Professor of Mathematics, University 
of Utah. 

I made it a point, while Dr. Veneziani was teaching 
here in the University of Utah, to inquire of his stu- 
dents, especially those in the more advanced branches 
of mathematics, as to the work they did under him, 
and found from all of them that he was in all respects 
an ideal teacher, and just such a one as the industrious 
and ambitious student would choose for his guide and 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 7 

assistant in the difficult and perplexing work which no 
student can escape, who desires to go beyond the ele- 
mentary mathematics of the common schools. 

As to his character, I cannot say too much, and for 
anything further on this point, I think I can safely 
refer you to Bp. Scanlan, of the Roman Catholic 
Church here, at least if I am able to judge from his ut- 
terances to me. 

" Whoever knew truth put to the worse in a free and 
open encounter? " — Milton. 

An open letter to the Very Reverend J. A. Zahm, 
Ph. D., Provincial of the Congregation of the Holy 
Cross and President of the Board of Trustees of the 
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana. 
Dear Sir: 

I addressed you on March 23d, when I sent you a 
copy of my second communication, in which I pro- 
posed to the 'Board of Trustees of the University of 
Notre Dame to leave the decision of my claims to 
Bishop Scanlan, of Salt Lake City, a man of the most 
sterling honesty and integrity. No answer was vouch- 
safeci by you, nor received from the Board of Trustees. 

I addressed you several other times, when, in your 
capacity as President of the Board of Trustees, it was 
your duty to have justice done to me. The only in- 
terpretation for your silence is that, in your conceit, 
a layman Professor of the University of Notre Dame 
has no rights which a man of your great qualities is 
bound to respect, and while you wrap yourself in a 
cloud of silence, like an Olympic Jupiter, you are in 
reality like the dumb man of the Gospel, possessed 
by the demon of avarice when it is the question of pay- 
ing what is due to a layman Professor. 



O HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

The following undeniable facts clearly prove the 
truth of my assertion : 

1. You cannot deny that my teaching in the Uni- 
versity of Notre Dame has been highly satisfactory. 
You knew this long ago, and you may see the testi- 
monial of the one who is in a position to observe and 
judge — the "-Director of Studies" of the University of 
Notre Dame. 

2. You cannot deny that my conduct has been ir- 
reproachable, and this is a very important item, sir, 
in a university like Notre Dame, where most of the 
Professors were discharged for drunkenness or dis- 
orderly conduct. 

3. You cannot deny that the President of the -Uni- 
versity of Notre Dame, when he engaged me, lied 
when he wrote "that six hundred dollars is higher than 
we give for the first year;" lied about "our chairs of 
mathematics ;" about "making it an object for me to 
become a permanent member of the staff." You, Pres- 
ident of the Board of Trustees, are aware that "six 
hundred dollars is not higher than the university ever 
gives for the first year" — you are aware that there are 
rio "chairs of mathematics" in the University of Notre 
Dame — you are aware that the salary of the permanent 
members that received a fee less than six hundred dol- 
lars for the first year is not certainly an object for any 
teacher to Secome a permanent member of the stafif. 
Why did your own brother leave the university ? 

4. You cannot deny that when I sent my first com- 
munication to the Board of Trustees of the University 
of Notre Dame, asking for redress, namely : that the 
President's written statements be made true, the Board 
of Trustees referred mv communication "to the Presi- 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 9 

dent, who has exclusive authority to act in the mat- 
ter." By so doing the Board of Trustees proved them- 
selves to be either a set of liars, if they meant that the 
President has ex-ofificio exclusive authority, or men 
who have not the least conception of justice, if they 
gave that authority to the President — the Priest who 
wrote those lying statements to me, and therefore the 
last^person fit to be appointed a judge of my claims. 

5. You cannot deny that the President of the Uni- 
versity, to whom the Board of Trustees, in their wis- 
dom and justice, referred me for my claims, by dis- 
charging me when I called for an answer to my claims, 
has clearly shown by his action that the University of 
Notre Dame, controlled by the Congregation of the 
Holy Cross, instead of being a university where truth 
and justice are enthroned, is a university where lying 
and dishonesty are openly and shamelessly practiced. 

6. You cannot deny that when the President of the 
great University of Notre Dame brings as a reason 
for discharging me the example of Mr. Studebaker, 
who can discharge his workmen at a moment's notice, 
without assigning any reason whatever, the compari- 
son of the laymen Professors of the University of 
Notre Dame to the workmen in the shop leaves noth- 
ing to desire. Unfortunately the comparison between 
the President and Mr. Studebaker is not so perfect, 
since Mr. Studebaker might object, saying, that not 
being a member of the Congregation of the Holy 
Cross, nor the President of the largest Catholic uni- 
versity in America, he is a man of his word, and there 
is no danger of his workmen being discharged for ask- 
ing him to keep his written word. 

7. You cannot deny that the only answer I re- 



10 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

ceived from the moment I addressed you was the let- 
ter apprising me of my dismissal, written the day after 
your eminent guest, Monsignor Martinelli, left Notre 
Dame, and you are the best judge of the amount of 
your share in this transaction. 

8. You cannot deny that the assistant treasurer, in 
June '99, had received orders from his superiors not 
to pay me the one hundred and forty dollars due as 
a balance of my salary of six hundred dollars, unless 
I would accept a check with the words "in full of all 
diemands" written thereon. You knew that the differ- 
ence of house rent promised had not been paid since 
March, 1898. You knew that I was never paid for my 
extra teaching, therefore when I requested you, Presi 
dent of the Board of Trustees of the University of 
Notre Dame, for an explanation concerning this or- 
der, it was your duty to reply. 

9. You cannot deny that you not only gave no ex- 
planation concerning this order, but you never took 
any measure that the difference of house rent be paid 
to me, nor the salary for my extra teaching be paid to 
me, nor did you take any measure to have justice done 
me, who had been lied to when engaged, and dis- 
charged in order to defraud me of my just claims. 

I send you this book, and if you find in it any un- 
truth derogatory either to yourself or to the university, 
I heartily hope that in your capacity of Provincial of 
the Congregation of the Holy Cross, and President of 
the Board of Trustees of the university, you will not 
fail to have me prosecuted to the full extent of- the law. 

CHAS. VENEZIANI. 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 11 

A Brief History of My Connection witli tiie Uniferslty of Notre 
.Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana. 



The promise long with the fulfillment short 
Will make thee triumph in thy lofty seat. — Dante's 
Inferno, canto xxvii. 

Before entering upon the plea for the higher edu- 
cation of the Catholic young men of America, I think 
it of the greatest importance to relate my experience 
in the University of Notre Dame, the largest Catholic 
university of America, controlled by the Congregation 
of the Holy Cross. 

In September, '96, I came to Notre Dame. Gazing 
upon her gilded dome, the fine buildings, the spacious 
halls, the beautiful frescoes of Gregori, and the pic- 
turesque grounds and lakes that surround her, I was 
enchanted, and concluded that this was one of the best 
spots where a man could give himself to study and re- 
search. According to the letters of the President of 
Notre Dame (see my first communication page 56. I 
was to be chiefly employed in teaching French, until a 
vacancy would occur in such departments as would 
best suit me, and this was due to the fact that the va- 
cancy in the Mathematical department, which the 
President expected, did not occur, and consequently 
the Chairs of Mathematics were all filled just then. 

My salary for the first year was six hundred, a fee 
"higher than the university ever gives for the first 
year," and it was given to me in view of the distance 
and circumstances in my case. In course of time the 
university could make it an object for me to become a 
permanent member of her stafif ; or, to use the expres- 
sion of the President in another letter: "I think we 



12 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

could make it an object for you to join our Profes- 
sorial staff." 

I never was deceived in universit}' matters before. 
I suppose that every statement the President wrote me 
was true, and I would have considered it a lack of good 
common sense to doubt the written statements of a 
'President, who was besides a priest belonging to the 
Congregation of the Holy Cross. The first shock I 
received was my learning through the newspapers that 
I was holding the Chair of Romance Languages in the 
University of Notre Dame, as the term "Romance 
Languages" is not even to be found in the letters of 
the President. This news was certainly given to the 
press by order of the President, because these words 
"Romance Languages," appeared for three consecu- 
tive years under my name in the catalogue, and the 
President is the only one who has power in such mat- 
ters. 

Truthfulness, in my opinion, should be the great 
virtue of all institutions of learning, but of Catholic 
institutions in particular, and I could not help think- 
ing that by advertising me as the Professor of Ro- 
mance Languages, the President of the University of 
Notre Dame was playing false to me as well as to the 
public at large, since there was no department of Ro- 
mance Languages in the University of Notre Dame 
to take charge of, nor is there any at present. 

The second shock I received arose from this amus- 
ing incident. A priest, who was teaching very ele- 
mentary branches of Mathematics in the Preparatory 
Course, was relating his experience on the "silver 
question" in Colorado. The silverite papers lavished 
their praises on him and styled him : "The Professor 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 13 

of Mathematics" in the University of Notre Dame. I 
smiled at the journahsts of Colorado, who, in order to 
enhance to the public the value of the priest's opinions, 
dubbed him "Professor of Mathematics," but glancing 
over the catalogue, I perceived with dismay that he 
was really set down as the "Professor of Mathematics," 
and the suspicion dawned upon me that the University 
of Notre Dame, with her big buildings and her big 
catalogue, was perhaps a big fraud. 

I had cherished the idea of holding one day a chair 
of Mathematics in this university, being entitled to the 
vacancy that best suits me. The chairs of Mathemat- 
ics, however, being for the present well filled, I had to 
wait until one became vacant, and then I could rejoice 
in possessing that which my heart was longing for — a 
chair of Mathematics ; but I was doomed to disap- 
pointment. I am no more able to discover in Notre 
Dame a chair of Mathematics than I am able to dis- 
cover a chair of Romance Languages. 

The matter of salary is a very important question 
with a Professor who has a family to support, and I 
expected that after the first year the university would 
"make it an object for me to join her Professorial 
stafif," but on this point also I was doomed to disap- 
pointment. 

In the first place I discovered that the written state- 
ment of the President, that "six hundred dollars is 
higher than we ever give for the first year" isa lie ; 
secondly, I learned that the permanent members of the 
stafif, who had not been at the very beginning engaged 
at a higher salary, did scarcely receive over seven hun- 
dred dollars per year ; and lastly, when I asked the 
President what would be the increase of my salary for 



14 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

the ensuing- year, I was told that the university had 
to support the missions in India, therefore no salary 
would be increased. I appreciated very much the re- 
ligious zeal of the University of Notre Dame in sup-^ 
porting the missions in India, still I am a strong be- 
liever in the proverb that "Charity begins at home," 
and teachers should not sufifer in order to support 
missions in India. Later on I discovered that it was 
the policy and diplomacy of the University of Notre 
Dame when engaging a new teacher to give him as 
little as possible for the first year, promise a great 
deal in the future, and perform nothing of what has 
been held out to him. 

One might ask why did you not, under such circum- 
stances, shake the dust of Notre Dame from your feet 
and try new fields? A man with a family, and not 
overburdened with this world's goods cannot give up 
one position until he has found another. In looking 
for a position in a Catholic college there would be 
nothing gained as the salary would be no better, and 
to obtain a position in a State University must certain- 
ly take some time, as I never heard of a Professor in 
Norte Dame who succeeded in getting a position in a 
State University, and the University of Notre Dame is 
in the fifty-sixth year of her existence. 

I heartily regretted my having declined, a few days 
after coming to Notre Dame, the kind ofifer of a Presi- 
dent of a State University ; but I trusted so much to 
the letters of the President of Notre Dame University, 
concerning making it "an object for me to join his 
Professorial staff," I was so sure that my teaching 
would be satisfactory — and the written testimonial of 
the Vice-President and Director of Studies of Notre 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. ■ IS 

Dame University shows I was not wrong- — I felt so 
confident that my conduct was irreproachable, as far 
as it concerns the eyes^^f man ; I was so buoyed up 
with the hope of a chair of Mathematics, that I thought 
I was acting very wisely to remain with Notre Dame. 

When the President perceived that I wished him to 
keep his written agreement he told me, of course, I 
could remain at Notre Dame until I had found a bet- 
ter position, but my abilities were so great, and the 
branches taught in this university so elementary that 
I could not be of much use there, and therefore I had 
better look for a position where my scholarship could 
be better utilized. On another occasion he told me 
their idea was to get rid of the laymen Professors as 
soon as they can be replaced by members of the Con- 
gregation of the Holy Cross, therefore I had better 
look elsewhere. 

I suggested that, perhaps, it would be well to raise 
the standard of Mathematics in this university, but 
the Pt-esident answered the higher branches of Mathe- 
matics bring no money. I cannot reconcile the Presi- 
dent's written statement : "In course of time the Uni- 
versity could make it an object for me to become a 
permanent member of her stafif," with the idea of get- 
ting rid of laymen Professors as soon as they could be 
replaced by members of the Congregation of the Holy 
Cross. 

When the President engaged me, he also knew 
from the testimonials of my abilities, whether a man 
of my acquirements would be useful in a University 
of such low standard as Notre Dame. However, from 
the opinion of the Very Rev. James French, Vice- 
President and Director of Studies of the University 



16 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

of Notre Dame, it appears that I have been very use- 
ful in this University ; see testimonial, page 3. 

At last, in January, '99, I decided to take a step 
which clearly shows that no matter how long we may 
live in this world, we have never learned enough. In 
my simplicity I was thinking th^-t if I should send a 
communication to the Board of Trustees of the Uni- 
versity of Notre Dame, enclosing an affidavit of the 
written statements of the President, stating my claims 
based upon them, namely : that a real chair of Mathe- 
matics should be given to me with a salary really 
"higher than we ever give for the first year," I would 
certainly obtain justice from the Board. 

The Board of Trustees was then composed of three 
priests, and one "Brother," besides the President of 
the University, and I sent a copy of my (Communica- 
tion to every member, and to the Very Rev. Daniel 
Hudson. President of the Board, the original. I ex- 
pected I would be asked to send them the letters of the 
President, and, if they thought I was correct, that my 
claims would be granted, but if not, they would state 
the reasons why they were refused. That is what I 
had insinuated when I wrote in my first communica- 
tion : "I beg to remind you, gentlemen, that I am 
open to conviction, and in case my reasoning does 
not seem correct to you, I wish you would state the 
weak points, and, if I perceive my mistake, you will 
find me quite amenable to reason." 

Two days after, I received the answer: "Having 
read and considered the same (communication), it has, 
by order of the Board, been referred to the President, 
who has exclusive authority to act in the matter." I 
called upon the President, who told me he did not 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 17 

need my services after June 15th. His verbal answer 
is to be found in my letter addressed to him of June 
1st, where every statement of his is fully analyzed: 
see page 65. 

After two months I concluded to send a second let- 
ter to the Board, stating- the answer of the President, 
and asking them to have my claim referred to Bishop 
Scanlan, of Salt Lake City, whom they know to be a 
man of the greatest honesty and integrity, with the 
understanding that, if I were found to be wrong, I 
would lose two hundred dollars fee, and if right, the 
University would be the loser. No answer. 

On May 17th, the day after the Papal delegate, 
Monsignor Martinelli, left Notre Dame, the President 
wrote apprising me of my dismissal. I answered his 
letter on June ist. 

I have been told that the authorities of Notre Dame 
felt highly indignant, because I called to pay my re- 
spects to my illustrious countryman, and held a con- 
versation in Italian with him. I do not know why 
they should feel such indignation, nor can I under- 
stand why the President of the University suddenly 
left the company when I entered. 

When the fornier Papal delegate, Monsignor Sa- 
tolli, was on his way to Salt Lake City, the Right 
Rev. Bishop Scanlan did me the honor of calling, and 
inviting me to accompany him to Ogden to nieet the 
distinguished Prelate. Monsignor Satolli, Bishop 
Scanlan, and myself, visited the several Catholic In- 
stitutions in Salt Lake City, and I was an invited guest 
at the banquet given in the Prelate's honor. 
. On September 5th, I sent my third communication 
to the Board of Trustees, and one also to the Very 



18 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

Rev. J. A. Zahm, Ph. D., the author of "EvoJntion 
and Dogma", and Provincial of the Congregation of 
the Holy Cross, with a letter. I did not know then 
that lie was the President of the Board of Trustees. I 
advocated the principle of leaving the decision of my 
claims to either Archbishop Riordan, of San Fran- 
cisco, who, as a pupil of Notre Dame, would not 
wrong his Alma Mater, or to Bishop Scanlan, offering 
two hundred dollars fee, to be lost if either party de- 
cide against me, but no answer could be elicited from 
the Board. 

It might be objected that my letter to the Presi- 
dent, dated June ist, was rather too strong, but the 
question is, whether the facts stated in it are true, and 
if not true, any President would have forbidden me to 
enter the University on the receipt of that letter. 

The evil, however, was done before June ist. It 
had begun with the ansu'er the Board wrote me Janu- 
ary 2 1 St: "referring me to the President, who has 
exclusive authority to act in the matter," and the 
evil was consummated May 17th, the day after the 
illustrious Mionsignor Martinelli left Notre Dame. 

Why should I suffer without protest such intoler- 
able wrongs, from people who by their very calling 
ought to be patterns of justice, thus encouraging them 
to inflict the same upon others ? 

Truth requires that the written statements of the 
President of the University of Notre Dame should be 
classified as lies, justice requires that I should not be 
the sufferer on account of the lies of the President. 

When the Board of Trustees of the University of 
Notre Dame, with the Very Rev. J. A. Zahm, Ph. D., 
the author of "Evolution and Dogma", as President 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 19 

of the Board, moved by pride and avarice, make them- 
selves the abettors ond supporters of the Hes ajnd in- 
justice of the President, the Very Rev. A. Morrissey, 
by so doing they show themselves unworthy of wear- 
ing the crOss, the sacred emblem of our religion, and 
the mask of the Congregation of the Holy Cross ; un- 
worthy of the priestly gown ; only deserving that the 
finger of scorn be pointed at them. And the best 
proof of my assertion is, that they shall not dare to 
prosecute me for what I state, knowing too well that 
twelve self-respecting jurymen would find me only 
guilty of not using expressions strong enough to stig- 
matize such villainy. 

Let no one suppose for a moment that if the Board, 
headed by the Very Rev. J. A. Zahm, Ph. D., fails to 
prosecute me, it is due to their kindness of heart — far 
from it ! Where truth and justice are despised, char- 
ity cannot abide. They do not wish to make them- 
selves notorious before the public — they would not 
like to go to court, and have the veil, which covers 
their shame, lifted up before the world. 

They know too well that the written statements of 
the President are a set of lies ; that by referring my 
claims, based upon the written statements of the 
President, to the President, the Board made them- 
selves abettors and supporters of the written lies of 
the President; that if they refused Archbishop Rior- 
dan of San Francisco, or Bishop Scanlan of Salt Lake 
City, as arbitrators, when I was willing to lose two 
hundred dollars fee, if either party decided against me, 
it is because they are conscious of the injustice done 
me. They know too well, that the difference of house- 
rent, of which the President boasted as the increase 



20 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

due to my good teaching in the University, has not yet 
been paid since March, 1898; that the salary due for 
my extra teaching was never paid; that my mail has 
been purposely and maliciously delayed in the post- 
office of Notre Dame, of which the Very Rev. A. Mor- 
rissey is postmaster; they know too well the despica- 
ble trick played upon me June, '99, in order to cheat 
me out of my just claims. The assistant treasurer told 
me he had been instructed by his superiors not to 
pay me the $140.00, still due of the $600.00, unless I 
would subscribe that I had been paid "in full of all de- 
mands", and when the Board was asked for an explan- 
ation, no answer was received.^ They know too well 
that if last year I have not been cheated out of two- 
fifths of my salary, it was due to the fact that, rather 
than subscribe to such unheard of roguery of the Uni- 
versity of Notre Dame, I resolved to remain, and did 
remain six months, without drawing a cent of my 
salary. 

The University of Notre Dame has money to erect a 
magnificent building in Washington, D. C, has money 
to erect a fine gymnasium, and has money for many 
other purposes. 

From the history of the University of Notre Dame, 
printed in Notre Dame, page 94, it is known that 
Father Sorin "often said that if he had two hundred 
students he would feel that the future of the Univer- 
sity was assured", and now the number of students is 
almost four times as many. 

One may ask, why should such a wealthy corpora- 
tion, composed of religious members of the Congre- 



1. The University later on sent me a check without "in full of all de- 
mands" but as I thought I was entitled to an explanation I did not 
deem it proper to accept the clieck. 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 21 

gation of the Holy Cross, be so heartless and soul- 
less as try to cheat the Professor of "Romance Lan- 
guages" out of two-fifths of his salary of six hundred 
per year? A crime which would never be perpe- 
trated by any Agnostic or Atheistic University, if such 
existed. 

The answer to this question shows the difference be- 
tween, the heroic band which came from France, 
headed by a man like the venerable Sorin, the founder 
of the University, slnd the degenerate leaders of today. 

In March, '98, I was ordered by the President to 
drop one one of my classes, because the pupils were 
only "waiters", and too few in number. I remon- 
strated, stating that it would be a pity to drop in the 
middle of the year, a class composed of such earnest, 
diligent, and fine pupils as these waiters were. 

My remonstrations had only the effect of my being 
rebuked by the President, who stated that the Uni- 
versity could not afiford to have classes taught for a 
few waiter students, and gave me the peremptory or- 
der to drop the class. From my own experience, I 
know that the University of Notre Dame could afford 
to have classes taught where there was but one pupil 
who paid full tuition. The waiter-students, however, 
are so eager for an education, that they give many 
hours a day of their time in the service of the Univer- 
sity, besides fifty dollars a year, but, nevertheless, in 
the opinion of the President, the class should be 
dropped. Moreover, a fine opportunity presented it- 
self of robbing the Professor of "Romance Lan- 
guages" of two-fifths of his salary, and it must be im- 
proved. 



22 HIGHER EDUCATION FQi* 

I do not blame the President of the University of 
Notre Dame for his ignorance of the common rules 
of arithmetic, when he inferred that I was not earning 
two-fifths of my salary because He ordered me to drop 
one-fifth of my recitations ; but, I find that his heart 
is blacker than his robe, when he robbed such fine 
students of that instruction for which they were work- 
ing so hard in the interest of the University. 

No Agnostic, no Atheistic University would make 
such odious distinctions between a student who is a 
"waiter", and a student who is the son of a millionaire. 
Such distinctions can only be made in the Catholic 
University of Notre Dame, controlled by the Congre- 
gation of the Holy Cross, under the Presidency of a 
man like the Very Rev. A. Morrissey. In no Agnostic 
or Atheistic University could the President use such 
a pretext, to rob a Professor of two-fifths of his salary, 
as no members of the Board could be found so sub- 
servient to his criminal actions as the members of the 
Board of the University of Notre Dame. 

Let us not speak of them, but look and pass. — 
Dante's Inferno, Canto III. 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 23 

Wer die Wahrbriet kennet und saget sie nicht. 
Der ist Furwahr ein Erbarmlicher Wicht.— German Kommersbuch. 



A PLEA FOR THE HIGHER EDUCATION OF 
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 

Why do Catholics, in spite of their wealth and num- 
ber — a number reaching perhaps over twelve millions, 
play such an insignificant part in the progress of the 
intellectual development of the country ? 

Is it not because Catholics do not have universities 
like Chicago, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Northwest- 
ern, Brown, Boston University, etc. ? 

Why do' Catholics not have such universities, and 
what prevents Catholics from having them? How 
could they be started ? 

These are questions which should interest not only 
Catholics, but every lover of hig-her education, — every 
one who has at heart the interest of the country. 

It is true our catholic colleges and universities are 
of a very low standard compared with the above in- 
stitutions of learning founded by our non-catholic 
brethren, still it would be wrong to suppose, as some 
do, that this is due to the fact that the Catholic 
Church is afraid of science ; that the Catholic Church, 
in order to better domineer over the masses, wishes to 
keep her people in ignorance and darkness. 

No fair-minded person who has studied the ques- 
tion could hold such a wrong opinion. If we look 
closely into the origin of catholic and protestant col- 
leges, we will be able to perceive that protestant col- 
leges could become first-class universities, but catholic 
colleges never. 



24 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

Catholic colleges and universities controlled by re- 
ligious congregations are corporations, quite inde- 
pendent of Archbishops or Bishops, or any ecclesias- 
tical authority except their own congregation ; so in- 
dependent, that when I proposed to the authorities of 
Notre Dame university, the largest catholic university 
of America, to have the decision of my claims, based 
'Upon the written statements of the President, referred 
to either Archbishop Riordan of San Francisco, who, 
as a pupil of this university, would not likely wrong his 
alma mater ; or to Bishop Scanlan of Salt Lake City, 
a great friend of the congregation of the Holy Cross, 
ofifering two hundred dollars fee if in the judgment of 
either party I were wrong, my proposal was not an- 
swered in writing, and refused verbally as the height 
of folly, because, I was told, "this congregation allows 
no interference". 

This is a very important point, because I observed 
that among non-catholic educators of the highest rank, 
the notion prevails, that catholic Bishops. have much 
to do with the management of catholic colleges. 

With the exception of the catholic university of 
America, in Washington, D. C, and one or two col- 
leges, all catholic colleges and universities are con- 
trolled by religious congregations. It would be more 
proper to say that the higher education of catholic 
young men was in former times forced upon the con- 
gregations by circumstances rather than sought after. 
It came about in this way. 

ORIGIN OF CATHOLIC COLLEGES. 

The catholics being widely scattered, and the priests 
few in nvmiber, religious congregations of sisters. 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 25 

christian brothers, and fathers were invited by the 
Bishops to found academies, schools, and colleges ; as 
a rule, the Bishops offered inducements to religious 
congregations to settle in their dioceses. 

The good sisterr 

"Whose admirable life 

Better in glory of the Heavens were sung," 
— Dante's Paradise, canto xi. 

could never be adequately praised for the amount of 
good they did, and the prejudices they dispelled, and 
here is not the place to mention them, as we are con- 
cerned with the higher education of catholic young 
men. 

The christian brothers, and several other congre- 
gations, opened schools and colleges. It would be 
unjust not to praise the good will, the self-sacrifice, 
and the good results of their abnegation by helping to 
form the character of hundreds of thousands of young 
men, who, if in the storms of life they persevered 
faithful to their conscience, owe it tO' the early train- 
ing of these good christian brothers and kind fathers. 

Thus came into existence the catholic colleges and 
universities, a source of delight to the Bishops, who 
saw the catholic youth provided with institutions of 
learning where religion was not neglected. 

The labors of those who thus labored with zeal and 
devotion have helped to educate many who are now 
the pillars of the Catholic Church in America ; and the 
praise of their former teachers from such pupils is the 
best eulogy that could be bestowed upon them in this 
world. Many went to receive the reward of those who 
have worked diligently in the vineyard of the Lord. 



26 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

We do not, however, intend to discuss the work of 
cathoHc colleges of the past, as we are concerned with 
their actual work now, and the question arises, 
whether the catholic colleges of today, in the present 
state of science, keep pace with the advanced non- 
catholic colleges or universities, in dispensing the 
bread of higher education to catholic young men. 

WHY CATHOLIC COLLEGES AND UNIVER- 
SITIES CONTROLLED BY RELIGIOUS 
CONGREGATIONS CANNOT DISPENSE 
THE BREAD OF HIGHER EDUCATION. 

The function of a university is to preserve and dis- 
cover the truth. The function of a college 'is specially 
to preserve the truth, but it should lead at least to the 
discovery of truth. 

The mind should not simply exert its activity in as- 
similating truths, but in starting from received truths 
to new truths. The college should be a preparation 
for the university, but it is, in my opinion, almost im- 
possible to sharply determine the limit ; and, as a rule, 
many branches in a college belong properly to the uni- 
versity. For college I mean the collegiate depart- 
ment of such institutions as Harvard, Yale, Chicago, 
Johns Hopkins, etc., etc. 

What Jreally constitutes the college or university is 
not the bricks and mortar, but the professors and 
pupils. The formation of the pupils depends large- 
ly upon the teacher, therefore, let us examine the 
kind of teachers the congregations can aflford, and in 
order to relate what I know from personal experience, 
I will describe the teachers of the Universitv of Notre 



CATHOLIC YCXUNG MEN. 27 

Dame, the leading catholic university controlled by a 
congregation. 

There are three kinds of teachers in this university, 
brother-professors, priest-professors, and laymen-pro- 
fessors. 

BROTHER PROFESSORS. 

The brother-professors who teach many boys at 
Notre Dame are so proficient in know^ledge that they 
oould not be admitted to the second of the three years' 
preparatory course of this university. In many non- 
catholic universities there are preparatory courses, but 
the professors are, as a rule, college graduates ; here 
in Notre Dame, however, we are confronted with the 
anomaly of brother-professors that could not even 
be admitted to the second of the three years' prepara- 
tory course to enter the college. 

Such an anomaly m'ust be explained, because it is 
something inconceivable tO' the public outside, and 
still the reason is very simple. There are "brothers" 
who look after the cattle, others till the ground, etc., 
and others are utilized in the university, and in other 
colleges of the Holy Cross, as professors. 

Suppose these brother-professors were taught a lit- 
tle algebra, a little geometry, some Latin, Greek, the 
rudiments of some science, literature, they might, per- 
haps, think themselves fitted to earn their living in 
the world, and yield to the temptation of exchanging 
th'e safe harbor ol a religious life for the stormy ocean 
of the world. By so doing the congregation would 
lose both the brother-professor and his education, 
therefore, the surest way both for the spiritual welfare 
of the brother-professors and the temporal welfare of 



28 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

the congregation is, that brother-professors be taught 
enough to be used as professors in the colleges and 
university of the congregation of the Holy Cross, but 
not enough tO' earn their living as teachers in the 
world. 

PRIEST-PORFESSORS IN THE UNIVERSITY 
OF NOTRE DAME. 

The priest-professors, generally, were educated in 
the same college by other professors who, as a rule, 
never studied in first-class universities, and what kind 
of university professors these priests as a rule can 
make, is left to the intelligence of the reader. By 
chance one may find a really bright priest, entirely de- 
voted to his studies, but such priests are exceptions. 

The college work of religious congregations was 
certainly useful in the past, as they could not have 
been replaced ; but, it is a nuisance now, and the 
founding of the Catholic University of America in 
Washington, D. C, by the council of Baltimore was 
a godsend, thus enabling the congregations to send 
there their members intended for teachers, and some- 
what improving the low standard of their colleges and 
universities. 

The next step will be the founding of catholic uni- 
versities, with undergraduate courses, in the diflferent 
states. Large cities like Chicago, New York, etc., 
should have such universities^ with Bishops as Presi- 
dents of the Board of Trustees and competent laymen 
as professors. 

The training and education of the members of a re- 
ligious congregation will make a good priest, but not 
a good college professor. Even if the opportunities 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 29 

were oft'ered, it would be hard for a congregation to 
find a sufficient number of her members endowed with 
those natural quahties — love for learning, constancy 
in the pursuit of knowledge, enthusiasm in imparting 
it — qualities mdispensable to a college professor. 

LAYMEN PROFESSORS IN THE UNIVER- 
SITY OF NOTRE DAME. 

There are three types of laymen-professors, — stu- 
dent-professors, graduate-professors, and permanent- 
professors of the staff. 

These permanent professors, the pillars of the uni- 
versity, receive a salary, as a rule, of scarcely over 
seven hundred dollars per year. It would not be 
worth while to mention the salaries of the student or 
the graduate-professors. One of the brightest of Notre 
Dame's graduates, in his third year of teaching, re- 
ceives a salary of three hundred and fifty dollars per 
year. An exception should be made in favor of the 
professor of English literature. The former profes- 
sor, Maurice Francis Egan, received a fee of one 
thousand dollars a year, and the present professor re- 
ceives one thousand, five hundred per year. It would 
be a great mistake to suppose that this large salary, 
according to the view of the university, given to the 
professor of English literature, is due to the great love 
the university bears English literature. It is due to 
this. The university publishes a weekly paper, the 
"Scholastic", which has a large circulation, and helps 
advertise the university. The "Scholastic" is written 
by the students, hence the necessity of a competent 
professor to drill the pupils in writing themes, etc. As 



30 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

the congregation of the Holy Cross had no professor 
capable, a layman professor was indispensable. 

Were it not for the importance of making a good 
appearance before the public, if it were simply for the 
sake of teaching English literature to the pupils o^ 
Notre Dame, this layman professor would be replaced 
by any member of their Order. For instance, the 
author, a Ph. D. of Heidelburg, was teaching an extra 
class, for which extra pay had been promised. After 
a few lessons the president of the university concluded 
to give this extra class to a "brother", a former porter 
of the university, to teach ; and thus the university 
was saved the extra pay I was promised. 

The salaries paid to laymen professors are by no 
means higher in other catholic colleges or universities 
controlled by religious congregations, and while I do 
not assert that all laymen professors are of a very low 
rank, one cannot expect a fine set of college professors. 
My conclusion is self-evident, still I will quote part 
of a Special Correspondence of the Chicago "Record". 
headed, For Catholic Students, Notre Dame, Ind., 
Feb. 26, 1899. 

"The zeal displayed by the Very Rev. J. A. Zahm, 
provincial of the Order of the Holy Cross, during the 
year that he has been at the head of his order, is grat- 
ifying to the great number of catholics who are de- 
sirous of seeing catholic educational institutions offer 
courses as varied and thorough as those of non-catho- 
lic colleges and universities. He has realized that 
competition in brains is a reality ; that the institution 
that offers the largest salaries gets the best teachers 
and that a competent faculty and modern equipment 
swell the class rolls." 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 31 

It is indeed gratifying to learn that the Very Rev. 
J. A. Zahm, provincial of the Order of the Holy Cross, 
should have realized that competition in brains is a 
reality ; that the institution that offers the largest 
salaries gets the best teachers, and a competent faculty 
is necessary to swell the class roll, but I am not able 
to understand why the great number of catholics, who 
are desirous of seeing catholic educational institutions 
offer courses as varied and thorough as those of non- 
catholic colleges and universities, should rejoice. 

The salaries above mentioned are the best proof 
that no university or college controlled by religious 
orders can offer courses as varied and thorough as 
those of non-catholic colleges and universities, and 
what is sure is, the Very Rev. J. A. Zahm, provincial 
of the Order of the Holy Cross, and president of the 
board of trustees of the university of Notre Dame, 
does not certainly intend to offer salaries, as the non- 
catholic colleges and universities do, nor increase the 
salaries of the present professors, as a rule, if he can 
help it. 

What the university of Notre Dame has realized is. 
that, in order to swell her class roll, she needs a good 
team of foot-ball and base-ball players, and plenty 
"jpufifs" in the newspapers. The university knows 
' how^ to secure both these factors so important to swell 
her class rolls, and whatever may be the price she 
pays for them, it is certainly cheaper than to secure a 
competent faculty. 



32 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 



EVILS RESULTING FROM RELIGIOUS CON- 
GREGATIONS CONTROLLING THE 
HIGHER EDUCATION OF CATH- 
OLIC YOUNG MEN. 

Many are the evils resulting from religious con- 
gregations controlling the higher education of our 
catholic young men. 

I shall briefly enumerate a few. 

I. These religious congregations with, as a rule, 
incompetent priest and brother-prqfessojs, and 
a poor se,t of layman-professors, cannot ofifer courses 
in their colleges and universities, as varied and thor- 
ough as those offered in non-catholic colleges and uni- 
versities, and thus the intellectual development of our 
catholic young men is nipped in the bud. 

II. These incompetent priests engaged in teaching 
which could be far better performed by competent lay- 
men-professors, are thus debarred from attending to 
their sacred calling — preaching the word of gladness, 
administering the sacraments, visiting the sick, re- 
claiming sinners, and giving examples of Christian 
perfection. 

HI. It strengthens the prejudice among our 
learned non-catholic brethren that the Catholic 
Church is opposed to science. They see our catholic 
colleges controlled by religious congregations, there- 
fore, in their opinion, they are controlled by the Catho- 
lic Church. They know that these catholic colleges 
are of a very low standard compared with non-catho- 
lic colleges, and they infer that the Catholic Church 
does not wish a high standard, because, forsooth, "she 
is afraid of science". 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 33 

IV. Some of the essential differences between cath- 
olic and non-catholic colleges, are (i) that the pro- 
ceeds of catholic colleges belong to" the congregation 
that controls them, just as the proceeds of a railroad 
or sugar trust belongs to the stockholders, whereas, 
the proceeds of non-catholic colleges belong of right 
to the college. (2) The catholic colleges having, as a 
rule, incompetent priests and ignorant brother-profes- 
sors, not drawing a salary and a set of poorly paid 
laymen-professors, are really in a position of being 
not only self-supporting and erecting fine buildings, 
but also of making money for the congregation ; the 
non-catholic colleges, on the contrary, offering better 
courses and dispensing with professors that receive 
only their board and clothes, are more in touch with 
people, who realize that in order to engage a good 
. staff of professors, money is needed ; thus through 
bequests under an able president, institutions of sec- 
ondary rank rnay suddenly become first-class institu- 
tions ; witness, among many other instances, Colorado 
College, Colorado Springs, Colorado, under the Presi- 
dency of Dr. Slocum. (3) Catholic colleges, as a rule, 
use the higher education as a bait in order to attract 
pupils into the elementary courses, and thus they make 
money, whereas non-catholic colleges spend money 
on the higher education. The consequence is that 
catholic colleges, with their big buildings, convey the 
impression to our catholic people that the higher edu- 
cation not only needs no support, but can fatten the 
congregations that control them. This impression 
will prove the greatest obstacle in the efforts to secure 
good colleges for our catholic young men, although 
the movement for catholic colleges with Bishops as 



34 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

Presidents of the Board of Trustees, and competent 
laymen as professors, once started, our wealthy catho- 
lics will not be behind non-catholics in making be- 
quests. 

V. St. Paul rightly advocates the principle that he 
who serves the altar has the right of living from the 
altar, consequently, he who serves Science ought to 
be able to earn a modest living from Science. Non- 
catholics have a number of colleges where bright 
young men who wish to devote themselves to Science 
by fitting themselves, may find employment. The case 
with our catholic young men is quite different, and 
they are thus driven into other professions. This is 
why we catholics have so fewx^ally learned men in 
comparison with non-catholics. Incompetent priests 
and most ignorant brothers occupy the positions 
which should be held by bright and learned laymen, 
and the evil resulting from this exchange is incal- 
culable. 

VI. It thwarts the object the Council of Baltimore 
had in the founding of the Catholic University of 
America. Our catholic young men who complete the 
post-graduate courses of the Catholic University of 
America could find no suitable employment in catholic 
colleges where laymen-professors are employed, sim- 
ply through necessity and only until they can be re- 
placed by some priest or brother-professor. They 
must compete with priest and brother-professors who 
work for their board and clothes ; therefore, the num- 
ber of catholic young men studying in the Arts and 
Sciences departments of the Catholic University of 
America will always necessarily be limited — until we 
catholics shall have colleges with Bishops as Presi- 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 35 

dents of Boards of Trustees and learned laymen as 
professors. The Council of Baltimore did not wish 
to withdraw the patronage from the catholic colleges 
and universities controlled by religious congrega- 
tions, and thus the Catholic University of America 
was intended to offer only post-graduate courses. One 
might naturally suppose that this kindness would be 
repaid by the catholic colleges using their influence 
to send their graduates to the Catholic University of 
America, to gursue the higher branches. Several cata- 
logues of the Catholic University of America, are sent 
to Notre Dame, to be stored away in places to which 
neither professors nor students have access. 

It is true that the Catholic University of America 
can really be of great benefit by improving those 
members of the different religious congregations, who 
are intended to become college-professors ; but is it not 
right that these religious congregations should endow 
chairs in a university of which they avail themselves 
for the education of their members ? Is it not a shame 
that laymen should endow chairs which will benefit 
members of a congregation like the Holy Cross, who, 
to use the words of the President of Notre Dame, in- 
tends to treat their laymen-professors as hired help to 
be discharged at a moment's notice, without assigning 
any reason whatever? Why should not the university 
of Notre Dame help to defray the expenses of the 
Catholic University of America, since she enjoys the 
benefit of profiting by the instruction of such an insti- 
tution of learning? 

VII. The religious congregations, having the mo- 
nopoly of the catholic colleges, and not offering 
courses as varied and thorough as those offered by 



36 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

non-catholic colleges and the expense of education 
being, as a rule, higher than in non-catholic colleges, 
compel many of our catholic young men to seek in- 
struction in non-catholic colleges. The evil lies not 
in our catholic young men, studying in non-cathoHc 
colleges, but in their being compelled to do so, be- 
cause they cannot pay the expense of education, and 
also in order to receive a better education. We must 
analyze at length this evil, and the remedy the Uni- 
versity of Notre Dame offers, then we may better real- 
ize the necessity of founding catholic colleges with 
Bishops as Presidents of Board of Trustees and 
learned laymen as professors. 

On page 192 of the catalogue of the University of 
Notre Dame, for the year 1898- 1899, we find this sad 
state of affairs so described : "There were last year 
1452 catholic students in 6 per centum of the noii- 
catholic colleges of America, and very many of these 
will lose their faith, and all will be weakened in that 
faith, because our people look upon collegiate insti- 
tutions as the property of private corporations which 
are to be left to take care of themselves. 

Notre Dame asks for scholarships for boys that can- 
not pay the expense of education, and who therefore 
are obliged to go to non-catholic colleges to the detri- 
ment of their faith. A foundation of $5,000 will edu- 
cate and board a student as long as the University 
exists." 

Here we find ourselves in presence of three very 
important facts. First, there were last year 1452 catho- 
lic students in 6 per centum of the non-catholic col- 
leges. Second. Boys that cannot pay the expense of 
education are obliged to go to non-catholic colleges. 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 2>^ 

Third, the root of the evil is that o_ur cathohc people 
look upon collegiate institutions as the property of 
private .corporations which are to be left to take care 
of themselves. The University of Notre Dame takes 
a great interest in the spiritu al welfare of the 1452 
catholic students, in 6 per ceaitum of the non-catholic 
colleges of America, very many of whom will lose 
their faith, and all will be weakened in that faith, and 
naturally she suggests a remedy conducive to the spir- 
itual welfare of the students and the temporal welfare 
of herself. Give $5,000 to the University of Notre 
Dame and the faith of a catholic boy will neither be 
lost nor weakened. 

Wejniay smile at such a holy and unselfish request 
of the University of Notre Dame,, we may smile at the 
idea that very many of these catholic young men will 
lose their faith, we may laugh at such nonsense, that 
all will be weakened in that faith, but, we cannot laugh 
at the fact that catholic boys who cannot pay the ex- 
pense of education are obliged to go to non-catholic 
colleges. This means that relatively poor boys can 
receive an education in non-catholic colleges and can- 
not receive an education in catholic colleges. This is 
a very important matter. If the catholic clergy really 
believe that very many of our catholic young men who 
study in non-catholic colleges will lose their faith, and 
all will be weakened in that faith, as they are barred 
from entering catholic colleges controlled by religious 
congregations, the expenses being too high,, and are 
obliged to go to non-catholic colleges, these catholic 
young men should be provided with catholic colleges, 
where they could receive an education as good and 
as cheap as in non-catholic colleges. Moreover, since 



38 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

this evil is due to the fact that onr cathohc people look 
upon collegiate institutions as the property of private 
corporations which are to be left to take care of them- 
selves, it is now time that our catholics should be 
thoroughly aroused to the great need of these new 
catholic colleges, and it is to the Bishops that bequests 
should be made for this holy purpose. 

Even in the hypothesis that the danger of our catho- 
lic young men losing their faith or being weakened 
in that faith by studying in non-catholic colleges is 
not so great, the fact remains that the more centers 
of light the better it is for the nation. It is a shame 
that we catholics of the twentieth century cannot boast 
in the United States of educational institutions, where 
courses are offered as varied and thorough as in the 
colleges of our non-catholic brethren, and we should 
certainly have universities doing collegiate work where 
one might be sure that our catholic young men in get- 
ting the bread of higher education receive nothing 
mingled with it which might be detrimental to their 
faith, as for instance in the study of history, philoso- 
phy, etc. The proposition of the University of Notre 
Dame to be entrusted with the faith and education of 
catholic students who go to non-catholic colleges be- 
cause t'ney cannot pay the expense of education, and 
asking only $5,000 apiece for each student, could not 
be considered even for a moment by one acquainted 
with the crooked ways of dealing of the University 
of Notre Dame, besides, there are other drawbacks 
which .should not be passed over in silence. 

In the first place many catholic :students go to non- 
catholic colleges because they ofifer courses more 
varied and thorough than our catholic colleges. The 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 39 

principal degree of the University of Notre Dame is 
her Bachelor of Arts. Only one or two students take 
this degr^e_ every year, besides a few who pre- 
pare themselves for the priesthood ; still the num- 
ber of beginners in Latin is very great. The reason 
of the fewness of such advanced students is, that seven 
years Latin live hours per week, six years Greek 
five hours per week and plenty of English, are not 
enoug njo retain students who want a university educa- 
tion; and although the university offers to those stu- 
dents who are in the Junior and Senior year a room 
free of cost, for which she charges fifty dollars per 
year to other students, the advanced students go else- 
where. 

The University of Notre Dame is more successful 
in atjtracting new students, with her pufifs, athletics 
-and big catalogue that makes her appear a big univer- 
sity. One of the biggest frauds of the University of 
Notre Dame for which she rightly deserves the name 
of Quack University, is her degree of Doctor of Phil- 
osophy held forth in her Spanish catalogue, page 79, 
in order to decoy the Spanish speaking youth, especially 
the Cubans. The fraud is so patent that in order to 
shun the ridicule such pretensions would rightly draw 
upon her, she is silent in her English catalogue, 
although printed later, about the degree of her Doctor 
of Philosophy. It seems almost incredible that men 
who_become priests and join a religious congregation, 
taking three vows in order to better serve God and 
be useful to mankind, should _stoop so low to deceive 
the Spanish speaking people with glaring falsehoods, 
imaginary buildings and the fraud of a three years 
post graduate course leading to the degree of Doctor 



40 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

of Philosophy, all to be found in her Spanish cata- 
logue. It is the duty of the State of Indiana not to 
allow an institution of learning like Notre Dame, 
deriving her authority of granting degrees from the 
state, to abuse this authority in order to deceive 
the Spanish speaking people. How could the Spanish 
^^peaking people believe that a university which is both 
catholic and American should purposely state false- 
hoods in order to decoy them? Yet it is with these 
fraudulent methods that the University of Notre Dame 
secures her Spanish speaking students. 

Let us suppose that a good soul bequeaths tO' the 
University of Notre Dame, sufficient funds to endow 
a number of scholarships, how would the students 
enjoying the scholarships be treated by a university 
like Notre Dame who robbed her waiter students of 
the instruction due to them, for paying fifty dollars 
a year besides giving many hours in the service of the 
university, and who used the dropping of this waiter 
student's class as a pretext to try and rob her Pro- 
fessor, a married man with a family, of two-fifths of 
his salary of $600 per year? Other universities that 
have scholarships state on what condition they can 
be obtained and the names of students enjoying schol- 
arships are mentioned in their catalogues. Not so 
Notre Dame, although according to page 192 of her 
catalogue she has one ^scholarship. Who knows 
whether these scholarships would not be offered to 
ydung men who have distinguished themselves in ath- 
letic sports in order to induce them to enter the uni- 
versity? It is a well known secret that during the 
vacations the University of Notre Dame hunts up ath- 
letes and offers them inducements to join her athletic 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 41 

staff. What is more natural that in a university where 
waiter students are robbed of their instruction, a 
teacher of his salary, scholarships, instead of being 
given to really bright and studious young men, should 
be given to football and baseball players, who by their 
feats of agility and dexterity help so much to swell 
the class roll? Scholarships in a university like Notre 
Dame instead of helping the higher education would 
only help to foster ignorance. It is certain that this 
money would help swell the funds of the congrega- 
tion of the Holy Cross and perhaps in the near future 
neither board nor educate students. The reason is evi- 
dent. The university expressly stipulates that "a. foun- 
dation of $5,000 will educate and board a student as 
long as the university exists." The moment the uni- 
versity ceases to exist as a university she will no long- 
er be obliged to educate and board students enjoying 
scholarships. The existence of the university depends 
upon the state of Indiana. The charter was granted . 
with a very wise proviso : "Provided, however, that 
no degrees shall be conferred nor diplomas granted, 
except to students who have acquired the same pro- 
ficiency in the liberal arts and sciences, and in law and 
medicine, as is customary in other universities in the 
United States." The legislature has full power to have 
a thorough investigation made in every university in 
the state, in order to be assured that the power given 
to confer degrees is not abused. The fact that such 
investigations have not been made in the different 
states does not prove they will never be made, and it 
does not require the foresight of a prophet to perceive 
that in the near future the charters of those institu- 
tions of learning which do not compare favorably with 



42 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

state institutions in the departments in which they 
grant degrees will be revoked. It is for the benefit 
of the public as well as the institutions of learning that 
the exercise of the power of granting degrees should 
be used only in those courses in which colleges have 
a competent faculty. 

A standing committee of Presidents and Professors 
of different colleges of the state appointed by the gov- 
ernor to report at every session of the legislature any 
shortcomings which need the action of the legislature 
seems for the present the best remedy for correcting 
abuses which become more and more glaring in a uni- 
versity for example like Notre Dame. 

Suppose such a committee visited the University of 
Notre Dame ; the gentlemen would certainly go to 
admire the law school which is not one of the seven 
wonders of the universe, but something incomparably 
greater. With a faculty where are to be found Pro- 
fessors who do honor to the University of Notre Dame 
by allowing her to use their names and that is all, in 
the twenty-five pages devoted by the university to the 
explanation of her great course in law, she modestly 
states in her catalogue: "It is believed that nowhere 
in the country is the course in law more comprehen- 
sive, thorough and practical than at this university." 
This may be supposed by the gentlemen of the com- 
mittee to be only a figure of speech used in order to 
show the excellency of the course in law of this great 
University of Notre Dame. It is a mistake. God's 
great wonders can be excelled by others still greater, 
but the course in law of the University of Notre Dame 
cannot be excelled. The university expressly states in 
her catalogue: "This course of instruction is com- 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 43 

prehensive, thorough and practical. It is not and can- 
not be excelled." The inspection of this course may 
lead the committee to investigate the fraud of the 
Romance Languages chair, the fraud of the chairs of 
Mathematics, the fraud of the course in Architecture 
leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Archi- 
tecture with no architect in her staff, the fraud of her 
post graduate course leading to the degree of Doctor 
of Philosophy, the fraud of her degree of Doctor of 
Science, the fraud of her degree of Doctor of Letters, 
the fraud of her degree of Doctor of Laws granted for 
some remarkable w^ork on law, the fraud of fitting stu- 
dents to become professors of mathematics or leading 
them in the difficult path of original investigations 
with not one professor in her staff who could be called 
a mathematician, etc. 

The committee may come to the conclusion that 
where such glaring frauds exist the students cannot 
acquire the same proficiency in the liberal arts and 
sciences as is customary in other universities in the 
United States, the legislature might revoke the charter, 
and the University of Notre Dam.e ceasing to exist as 
a university, she would no longer be obliged to educate 
and board students enjoying scholarships. These cath- 
olic students would be compelled to avail themselves 
of non-catholic colleges, and very many would con- 
tinue losing their faith and all would be weakened in 
that faith because the University of Notre Dame, who 
had asked and received $5,000 for each student in 
order to be entrusted with their faith and education, 
has been found to be a fraud rightly deserving to be 
wiped out of existence as a university. 

The usefulness of religious congregations, if the 



44 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

charters were revoked, would be increased. Their 
colleges and universities would then become S^aA pre- 
paratory schools — the feeders of the new catholic col- 
leges with Bishops as Presidents of trustees and 
learned laymen as Professors. The cause of the higher 
education of our catholic young men would be greatly 
benefited by this change. 

One might reasonably object that although the 
President of the University of Notre Dame did not 
wish to introduce the higher branches of mathematics 
because they do not pay (see page 15) the fact is, that 
higher branches of mathematics are offered. On page 
40 of her Spanish catalogue elective studies are to be 
found : "for students who wish to make a deep study 
of pure mathematics either to fit themselves to become 
professors in mathematics or with the object in view of 
making original researches." This requires an explan- 
ation. About twenty months ago I was approached by 
a priest-professor on the veranda of the university 
who handed me a proof of a part of the English cata- 
logue containing the elective work of the advanced 
courses in mathematics asking what I thought of it. 
I replied that the mere fact that Dr. Craig's Differential 
Equations, the study of which requires a knowledge 
of Theory of Futictions, is one of the textbooks, and 
knowing positively that no professor in Notre Dame 
engaged in teaching mathematics has any conception 
of Theory of Functions, it is a clear proof to me that 
this course is a fraud. Any mathematician could per- 
ceive it because a course in Theory of Functions is 
not to be found either in the prescribed or in the 
elective studies ; but Dr. Craig's Dififerential Equations 
could not be studied without the knowledge of Theory 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 45 

of Functions ; therefore the professor who wrote the 
course had not taken the trouble of examining the 
book ; in fact, he had never seen it. 

It is useless to state that Dr. Craig's name was 
scratched and later replaced by Murray's. When I met 
the layman-professor entrusted by the President with 
the writing of this course of advanced mathematics for 
the catalogue he acknowledged frankly that he had 
never seen Dr. Craig's Differential Equations, but he 
supposed it was all right because he had seen that book 
in the catalogues of great universities, and of course it 
should find its place in the catalogue of the University 
of Notre Dame. To study Dr. Craig's Differential 
Equations after Osborne's Calculus is the same as to 
study calculus after arj^thme^^^^ It is with such mathe- 
maticians that the University of Notre Dame offers 
to the Spanish speaking students opportunities for 
deep studies in pure mathematics to fit them to become 
professors in mathematics or to lead them in the 
obstruse path of original research ! ! ! ! 

To think that the newspapers unwittingly help to 
cheat the public with their puffs, enhancing the work 
of such a lying institution as Notre Dame ! To think 
that the Very Reverend Dr. Zahm is so highly praised 
for his zeal displayed in the interest of higher educa- 
tion ! The great number of catholics who are desirous 
of seeing catholic educational institutions offer courses 
as varied and thorough as those of non-catholic col- 
leges and universities may indeed be pleased with the 
zeal of the Very Reverend Dr. Zahm who has realized 
that competition in brains is a reality ; that the insti- 
tution that offers the largest salaries gets the best 
teachers and that a competent faculty and modern 



46 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

equipment swell the class rolls! ! ! But this is sheer 
nonsense and the facts prove it. 

The Very Reverend Dr. Zahm, Provincial of the 
congregation of the Holy Cross and President of the 
Board of Trustees of the University of Notre Dame, is 

'i simply an abettor and conniver of detestable frauds. 
As President of the Board of Trustees of the Univer- 
sity of Notre Dame, Dr. Zahm is responsible for the 

' spreading of the falsehoods set forth in the Spanish 
catalogue to deceive the Spanish speaking students of 
Cuba, Mexico, Central and South America. As Presi- 
dent of the Board of Trustees it is his duty to see that 
all informations in the Spanish catalogue sent or con- 
veyed to the Latin Americans are correct. It is his 
dutyto see that the Latin-American young men should 

(not be decoyed by the most _shameless. misrepresenta- 
tions of the greatness of the University of Notre 
Dame. 

The Very Reverend Dr. Zahm understands Span- 
ish. Let him open the Spanish catalogue on page 8i 
and read : "The degree of Doctor of Letters is hon- 
orary, and is granted to former pupils of the university 
who write some remarkable work in literature or in 

/any other branches of the course." This is a false- 

[hood and Dr. Zahm is aware of it. The object of this 
falsehood is to convey to the Spanish speaking people 
the impression that in the faculty of the University 
of Notre Dame there are Ijterary men of the greatest 
rank and that such a degree is really granted. It is 
not so, however, and the English catalogue of the Uni- 
versity of Notre Dame is silent on this degree as well 
as on what is further quoted on page 8i, Spanish cata- 
logue: "Bachelors of Letters may enter the course 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 47 

of Doctor of Philosophy and obtain the degree in three 
years ; see conditions, page 79." Let the Very Rev- 
erend Dr. Zahm open the Spanish catalogue on page 
87. "The degree of Doctor of Science is honorary 
and is only conferred on former pupils of the univer- 
sity who distinguish themselves by some remarkable 
work in any of the sciences of the course." This also 
is not to be found in the English catalogue, and the 
Very Reverend Dr. Zahm is aware that the University 
of Notre Dame do es not have in her stafif such special- 
ists to enable her to confer such a degree without mak- 
ing herself eminently ridiculous, and yet Reverend 
Dr. Zahm, President of the Board of Trustees, con- 
nives and abetts such falsehoods by allowing the Span- 
ish catalogue to be spread abroad. Let the Very Rev- 
erend Dr. Zahm open the Spanish catalogue on page 
no: "The title of Doctor of Laws is honorary, and 
it is granted only for some remarkable work on any 
branch of laws." This falsehood is so. patent that the 
University of Notre Dame would be ashamed of hav- 
ing it reproduced in her English catalogue, although 
she devotes twenty-five pages of her English catalogue 
to the course in law, which "is not and cannot be 
excelled." 

It is evidently wrong for a catholic university like 
Notre Dame, controlled by the congregation of the 
Holy Cross, to take advantage of the unbounded con- 
fidence the catholic Spanish speaking people have in 
the truthfulness and honesty of priests belonging to 
a religious congregation, in order to deceive them with 
abominable falsehoods and thus induce them to send 
their young men to study In the catholic University 
of Notre Dame. The end does not justify tKe means. 



48 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

Whatever may be the spiritual advantages the Spanish 
speaking young men will receive by becoming stu- 
dents of this university, no lies should be used for this 
purpose. 

It is the duty of every catholic, of every lover of 
higher education, of every patriot, who does not wish 
that an American institution of learning should bring 
a lasting disgrace on the United States, by spreading 
falsehoods in catalogues to cheat our neighboring 
Spanish speaking nations, to see that a stop should be 
put to it. 

If the state of Indiana on account of some techni- 
calities of the law cannot restrain the Very Reverend 
Dr. Zahm from 'continuing such disgraceful methods, 
the Archbishops, Bishops and prominent members of 
the clergy should be applied to, in order to use their 
influence and authority with the Very Reverend Dr. 
Zahm. 

If it happens that the Very Reverend Dr. Zahm, 
Provincial of the congregation of the Holy Cross, and 
President of the Board of Trustees of the University 
of Notre Dame, brooks no interference from Arch- 
bishops, Bishops or prominent members of the clergy, 
God be thanked there is a power that can crush him, 
and bring him to submission — Rome. 

Rome sanctions the existence of the congregation 
of the Holy Cross for the edification of the world, but 
not in order that this congregation of the Holy Cross, 
enjoying the prestige of the recognition of Rome, 
should cheat catholic nations. 

Think for a moment, what a scandal such frauds 
would occasion, if a patriotic Cuban, having been de- 
coyed through the open falsehoods of the Spanish 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 49 

catalogue to the University of Notre Dame, should 
bring a suit before the United States court, praying 
the United States court to have the University of 
Notre Dame re strain ed from continuing to cheat his 
countrymen. He might rightly state : "The University 
of Notre Dame is deceiving my countrymen by lead- 
ing them to believe through the false statements of 
her Spanish catalogue, that she is a great university; 
that her work is exceptionally high; that her staff is 
composed of eminent specialists. I shall limit myself 
to the most glaring falsehoods in her Spanish cata- 
logue and which the university does not dare to print 
in her Eji^lish^atalogue. i. The University of Notre 
Dame lies when she asserts on page i8 of her Spanish 
catalogue : "Notre Dame and the principal universi- 
ties of this country have endeavored to make the title 
of Doctor, a degree granted only for exceptional work, 
and when the pupil shows that he possesses special 
/aptitude for original research." The University of 
Notre Dame has not granted one degree of Doctor 
on the above conditions. It is entirely unknown to 
the students and professors of Notre Dame, that there 
exists a three years post graduate course leading to 
the degree of I^Qctor of Philosophy — a course printed 
in the Spanish catalogue and which does not exist in 
the University of Notre Dame. 2. The University of 
Notre Dame lies when she asserts on page 19 and in 
other places of her Spanish catalogue : That her de- 
gree of Doctor of Science, Doctor of Laws and Doctor 
of Letters are honorary and granted only for some 
remarkable work on those branches. This is a false- 
hood leading us to beHeve that the University of Notre 
Dame has a faculty in which there are eminent special- 



50 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

ists in such branches, and I defy the University of 
Notre Dame to show that she has ever granted her 
degrees of Doctor of Science, Doctor of Letters on 
such conditions. Everybody is aware that her Doctor 
of Laws is not granted for any work on law. 3. 
The University of Notre Dame lies when on 
page 40 of her Spanish catalogue she states that stu- 
dents can make within her halls a deep study of the 
higher branches of mathematics, either to fit them- 
selves to^become professors in mathematics or to make 
original investigations. The University of Notre 
Dame does not have in her staff one specialist in 
mathematics, and she is aware of it. 

The Spanish catalogue is intended, as may be seen 
on page 15 (Spanish catalogue), for Cubans, Mexicans, 
Central and South Americans, to decoy them with 
falsehoods ; thus Spanish speaking young men, instead 
of profiting by the advantages of the best universities 
of the United States, are decoyjsd to Notre Dame to 
receive an inferior education. 

Such being the case, I, a Cuban j having the interest 
of my countrymen at heart, and knowing that my 
people could never be made to believe that a catholic 
and American university controlled by the congrega- 
tion of the Holy Cross would take advantage of their 
unbounded confidence in priests, in order to deceive 
them, I pray the United States court to put an injunc- 
tion on the Spanish catalogues of the University of 
Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, wherewith said 
university floods my country and deceives my coun- 
trymen. 

I pra^ the United States court to compel the Univer- 
sity of Notre Dame, controlled by the congregation 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 51 

of the Holy Cross, to have advertised in the Cuban, 
Mexican, Central and South American newspapers 
that her Spanish catalogue is not to be rehed on. 

The University of Notre Dame is guilty toward her 
Latin American students of breach of promise, since 
the University of Notre Dame did not furnish us with 
the eminent specialists which her several doctors de- 
grees, granted only for some remarkable work, re- 
quire. The University of Notre Dame is guilty of 
breach of contract because the University of Notre 
Dame exacted our money on conditions which she 
knew at the time she could not fulfill. 

The University of Notre Dame is guilty of obtaining 
our money under false pretense, since her Doctors' 
degrees and eminent specialists are only imaginary 
and not to be discovered in her institution of learn- 
ing. 

Such being the case, the Latin-American students 
of Notre Dame university have a perfect right to pray 
the courts that their money should be refunded, and 
that damages 'should be granted them for losing the 
best_years of their life in a university — a university 
entirely different from what she represented herself 
to be. 

The catholic University of Notre Dame should feel 
happy of a judgment in favor of her Latin-American 
students, because, according to one of her religious 
tenets there is no absolution without restitution. I, 
however, waive all claims to any indemnity to which 
I may be entitled, provided the catholic University of 
Notre Dame ceases to deceive Latin-Americans." 

What a disgrace that would be to the catholics of 
America, and to think that such a disgrace should be 



52 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

brought about by a religious congregation whose 
object should be the edification and not the cheating 
of the public ! 

REMEDY OF THESE EVILS, AND THE CATH- 
OLICITY OF THE NEW CATHOLIC 
COLLEGES OF THE FUTURE. 

We have seen what is almost evident, tliat it is a pre- 
posterous idea to suppose that religious congregations 
could furnish our catholic young men of America with 
colleges where the bread of higher education is dis- 
pensed. 

Let us bear in mind that for colleges is meant the 
collegiate departments of universities like Harvard, 
Yale, Chicago, Northwestern, Brown, etc. 

We have seen that the root of the evil is that our 
catholic people look upon collegiate institutions as the 
property of private corporations which are to be left 
to take care of themselves. We have seen that it would 
be dangerous to furnish religious congregations with 
money in behalf of those boys who cannot pay the 
expense of education and are therefore obliged to go 
to non-catholic colleges, besides other drawbacks all 
the profit goes to enrich the congregation. Who is 
not acquainted with the evils with which the Catholic 
Church has been afflicted on account of religious 
bodies owning too much, and their avarice increasing 
in proportion with their wealth? 

The only way left is to found colleges with learned 
laymen as professors and Bishops as Presidents of 
Trustees. 

To start the new catholic colleges, the real difficulty 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. S3 

is raising funds for this holy purpose. The cathoHcs 
have been so accustomed to see reHgious congrega- 
tions found colleges and universities, and make money, 
that it would be hard for them to realize that a good 
college or university cannot be self-supporting, much 
less make money. 

The respect that the majority of catholics feel toward 
the priestly character of the members of congrega- 
tions is s^_gTeat that it would be difHcult for them to 
realize that everything religious congregations under- 
take is not perfect, consequently catholics do not see 
the necessity of having catholic colleges with learned 
laymen as professors. 

It. is true, that the priestly character gives rights to 
the one who possesses it, that angels and archangels 
must gaze at the performance of them with awe and 
reyerence ; but priestly character will make neither a 
college professor, nor a carpenter, nor a shoemaker, 
and unless a priest has spent several years in univer- 
sities in close contact with masters of seciilar learning 
he will remain as a rule a very incompetent college 
professor. 

It is no wonder that the bequests our catholics make 
in the interest of higher education are nothing com- 
pared with those of our non-catholic brethren. This 
does not prove, however, that catholics are not inter- 
ested in higher education ; it only proves they have 
never felt the necessity of making any effort in that 
line. 

If an Archbishop of one of our large cities like Chi- 
cago, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, etc., should 
announce to the public his intention of founding a 
college with a layman President and laymen profess- 



54 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

ors, the Archbishop himseh' being ex-officio President 
of the Board of Trustees, and the Board being com- 
posed of some few priests of wealthy parishes, and a 
good number of wealthy catholic laymen, very soon 
sufficient funds would be raised to start the college. 

If, moreover, the Archbishop informs the public 
that one of the objects he has in view is to furnish his 
seminarians with a good secular education so that the 
fjuture priests might be college J)red men, and there- 
fore he wishes to join the college to the seminary, the 
management, however, of both remaining quite sepa- 
rate, the contributions of catholics would be ^reatj^ 
increased. The idea that this college, besides being 
for the higher education of catholic young men, will 
also greatly benefit the Catholic Churcfi of America 
by being the means of irnparting a better secular edu- 
cation to the clergy, would greatly stimulate the good 
will of those who are able and willing to contribute. 
I feel almost certain that even wealthy non-catholics 
would help, because, considering the priest simply as 
a teacher of morality and as such of great service to 
the people, everything being equal, his usefulness will 
be ijicreased by a good, broad, secular education. The 
college would help the seminary, on the other hand, 
the seminary vvould be of the greatest advantage to the 
college, by offering opportunities to the students of the 
.college to acquire a deeper knowledge of branches 
more or less intimately connected with their catholic 
faith. 

This is what T call the catholicity of the new catholic 
colleges. 

For instance, can we blame non-catholics for their 
prejudice that we catholics are forbidden tg.read_tbe 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 55 

word of God, transmitted to us in the Holy Scripture ; 
that Book that surpasses ah books, past, present and 
future, and which, alas, is" not read by our catholic 
students studying in catholic colleges and universities 
controlled by religious congregations ? 

Is it not a shame that while Pope Leo XIII. so 
strongly recommends to cathohc laymen the study of 
the Bible, religious congregations controlling catholic 
colleges and universities offer no opportunities for the 
study of this great Book ? The Bible is a sealed book 
to our catholic students in catholic colleges controlled 
by religious congregations. 

It is evident that no college can be cahed catholic 
unless it offers opportunities to students to become 
thoroughly acquainted with catholic topics. 

In a real catholic college there should be in every 
course leading to a degree a certain number of elective 
studies, and the students should be strongly encour- 
aged to take some religious topics, which should count 
as much as any other secular branch. 

Why should catholic students who are advanced in 
Latin not have the opportunities of becoming 
acquainted with some of the Latin Fathers of the 
Church ? 

They might read, for instance, with a professor of 
Patristic Theology, "The Confessions of St. Augus- 
tine" and many other works in which their knowledge 
of the Latin language would be utilized both to exer- 
cise the brain and at the same time to more rationally 
educate them in the catholic faith. 

The same method could be even better pursued with 
the "Greek Fathers of the Church." The motto of 
Emerson should never be forgotten : "I do not ask 



56 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

what my child studies, but who is his teacher." There 
is dfipLh in this saying. 

One of the differences between a genuine college 
professor and an incompetent college professor is that 
a good student taught by a genuine college professor 
will acquire a jtaste for the subject taught, and some 
few hints given in the right time will be the cause of 
stimulating the student to further pursue the subject, 
or at least give him a desire to do so ; whereas a stu- 
dent taught by an incompetent professor may study 
because he wishes to graduate, but after graduation 
he has no desire to further pursue his studies. 

It is for this reason that the real worth of a genuine 
college professor is thoroughly appreciated only later 
in life by a student. 

These new colleges will certainly offer opportuni- 
ties for the study of Hebrew, Ecclesiastical History, 
Natural Theology, etc., but what is sure is that the 
Word of God will be most zealously read and ex- 
plained. 

No college can rightly be called catholic unless with- 
in its halls the catholic students have opportunities to 
study the Word of God, so strongly recommended by 
our Holy Father, Pope Leo XHI. 

COMMUNICATION OF THE AUTHOR WITH 
THE AUTHORITIES OF NOTRE 
DAME UNIVERSITY. 

South Bend, Ind.. Jan. 19, 1899. 
To the Board of Trustees of the University of Notre 

Dame, Notre Dame, Ind. : 

Gentlemen — I send this communication, to present 
before your most honorable body some claims based 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 57 

Upon Statements to be seen in the letters of the Presi- 
dent of N. D. U., and of which I enclose an affidavit. 
These are the statements : 

I. Our chairs of Mathematics are well filled at 
present, still it is possible that a vacancy will occur 
at the end of the year, and if it is the one I suspect, I 
would be able to locate you nicely. 

II. The vacancy in our Mathematical Department 
did not occur. However, I am willing to hold out the 
inducement of a place on our staff in the line of lan- 
guages, particularly in French, if you are willing to 
take such classes as we can give you until a vacancy 
occurs in such of our departments as would best suit 

• you. 

III. I think that in the course of time we could 
make it an object for you to become a permanent mem- 
ber of our stafif. 

IV. Your salary for the first year will be $600, 
with board and lodging included. Thi^ is higher than 
we ever give for the first year, but in view of the dis- 
tance and circumstances in your case I shall make the 
fee six hundred. 

Allow me to state that on the 15th of June, 1896, I 
received a letter from Dr. Smart, President of Purdue 
University, stating that in case a teacher should be 
wanted in Mathematics he would make me an ofTer. 
I should let him know my address in case of moving, 
as he would notify me toward the loth or 15th of Sep- 
tember. I have the letter and it remains at your dis- 
posal. 

Being fully' persuaded that every statement of the 
President of N. D. U. was true, as soon as I arrived 
here, September 7, 1896, I wrote Dr. Smart, declining 



58 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

his offer. The position was filled, as you may see in 
the McMillan's Book Review just under the announce- 
ment that the University of Notre Dame had en- 
gaged me. 

It is not necessary to have studied in the universi- 
ties of Rome, Naples, Louvain, Paris, Madrid, the 
Polytechnicum of Zurich, the University of Heidel- 
berg, the Johns Hopkins University, and to have 
taught in the Boston University, University of Texas, 
University of California, University of Deseret, now 
Utah, in order to find out that there are no "Chairs 
of Mathematics" in the University of Notre Dame, 
since I have not yet found here a teacher of Mathe- 
matics who did not laugh at such words as "Chairs 
, of Mathematics" in connection with the University of 
\ Notre Dame. 

I do not wish to touch upon the disappointment I 
felt, since it was specially on account of such expres- 
sions as "our chairs of Mathematics" that I decided to 
decline Dr. Smart's offer. 

As to my salary of $600, being higher than we ever 
give, I am afraid that there is as much truth in this 
statement as there is in the chairs of Mathematics. 
Statement No. 3 : "I think that in the course of time 
we could make it an object for you to become a per- 
manent member of our staff" may be true, but in order 
that any reasonable person should believe it he should 
be shown that Dr. Egan, Dr. O'Malley, Col. Hoynes 
were engaged at a salary less than $600, according to' 
statement No. 4, and that there has been such an in- 
crease as to make it an object to become a permanent 
member of the staff of N. D. U. When I perceived 
the clear state of affairs I tried to find_s.Qme other place 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 59 

and leave quietly and gea-Cefully, but did not succeed ; 
and it is not to be wondered, because no teacher of 
Notre Dame ever got a position in a state university, 
and whatever my abilities, my connection with a catho- 
> lie institution is a great drawback. It should not be 
\so, but it is nevertheless so. 

Such being the case, and for reasons which I do not 
intend to state in this communication, I came to the 
resolution of laying before you my claims, trusting I 
will get full justice from you. 

This is my reasoning concerning the rights I think 
I have. The statement No. 2 gives me the right of 
choosing in case a vacancy occurs which best suits me, 
but there is a vacancy in the chair of Mathematics, as 
it is not occupied, ergp J choose it; and beginning 
next September I intend to be the Professor of Mathe- 
matics of the University of Notre Dame. 

Concerning my salary, I reason thus : According 
to statement No. 4, my salary is higher than you ever 
give for the first year, therefore I am entitled to a 
salary higher than Dr. O'Malley, or Col. Hoynes, or 
D'r. Egan got the first year when they were engaged 
Hence I respectfully ask you to let me know what 
their salaries were when they were first engaged and 
then I will be in a position to let you know to how 
much more I am entitled. 

I vmderstand very well the objection that could be 
made to this last reasoning. 

When you came to Notre Dame you accepted the 
position with a salary of $600. Your salary was paid 
to you, hence you have no claims on this score. 

My answer is that when the President of N. D. U. 
wrote he would like to have me make any suggestions 



60 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

that I wished on this score (salary) I answered him, I 
leave the matter entirely in his hands, because on the 
same page is written, I think that in the course of time 
we could make it an object for you to become a per- 
manent member of our staff. 

When the President of N. D. U. writes me my sal- 
ary for tne first year is $600, higher than we ever give 
for the first year, I accept in view of the future and 
supposing that there is truth in every statement of the 
President of N. D. U., I decline the profifered offer 
of Purdue University. 

Now if that statement is incorrect (I wish to use a 
mild expression), the University of Notre Dame is 
liable for misleading me. When I declined Purdue I 
thought I was connected with a university where there 
were chairs of Mathematics, to which I would be enti- 
tled as soon as a vacancy would occur, that it would 
be an object for me to become a permanent member 
of the stalT of N. D. U., and that if I had $600 for the 
first year it was simply because this is higher than 
the University of Notre Dame ever gives for the first 
year. 

If any of these statements are incorrect (to use the 
same mild expression), the university is bound to make 
them correct, and I have a perfect right to ask you 
whether it is true or not that $600 is higher than you 
ever give for the first year. 

I beg to remind you, gentlemen, that I am open to 
comdcti^in, and in case my reasoning does not seem 
correct to you I wish you would state the weak .poiats, 
and if I perceive my mistake you will find me quite 
amenable to reason. 

In the hypothesis that my reasoning is correct and 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 61 

that 1 am entitled to the chair of Mathematics, I wish 
to make some few sug-gestions which if adopted by 
you, the University of Notre Dame wih soon have a 
magnificent mathematical department and the engi- 
neering courses better attended than they are now. 

In my opinion the University of Notre Dame offers 
a fine field in the line of Mathematics, but it must be 
properly cultivated. 

There should be a Department of Mathematics lead- 
ing to the degree of B. S., requiring the same amount 
of Physics, Chemistry, English and Philosophy as it 
is prescribed in the Civil Engineering course, and a 
reading knowledge of French and German. It would 
be advisable to offer a one year post graduate course 
in Mathematics leading to the degree of M. S., just 
as it was offered in the University of Deseret, now 
University of Utah. The pupils of the Mathematical 
Department would liave at least one elective study 
every year, if not more. Advised but not compelled to 
choose them in any one of the Engineering courses, 
when they take the degree of B. S. they will perceive 
that very little is left them to graduate in the Engineer- 
ing course from which they choose their elective 
studies, and by remaining one year longer they might 
graduate in it and perhaps by taking some postgradu- 
ate courses in Mathematics, if fitted, they will receive 
the degree of M. S. Of course, next September all I 
could do would be to take charge of the beginners of 
Geometry and third Algebra. These two studies 
should begin simultaneously, divisions shall be made 
according to fitness, and I shall take charge of the 
best division and keep it with me to the end of the 
year. I purposely refrain from stating the amount of 



62 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

ground they will be able to cover with me during" the 
year, because I do not wish to be laughed at, only 
remember that I advance nothing but what I know 
by experience I can perform. 

At the end of the first year I shall have a good 
number of pupils enthusiastic for Mathematics, then 
shall my real work begin. Concerning my fitness for 
teaching elementary branches I only wish to relate 
one instance. 

In St. Louis I left Mr. X's school, as he did not 
wish to augment my salary, as I thought he should. 
A committee of the pupils came to me asking me 
whether I left because I had been engaged in another 
school, as they were told by the principal. I told 
them the reason. Two days after Mr. X — came to 
see me, acceded to my terms and told me that the 
pupils were so pleased with me that they threatened 
they would leave the school if he did not continue 
to employ me as their teacher in Algebra and Geom- 
etry. 

As to my fitness for teaching higher Mathematics, I 
leave the matter to the testimonial of Prof. J. B. 
Toronto, Vice-President of the University of Utah, 
sent to Dr. Smart, and which I enclose, also the letter 
he sent me concerning it. I submit also copies of 
other testimonials, and the programme of the Mathe- 
matical Department of that university. 

It is exceptionally high, but it must be borne in 
mirjd that, in the first place, I found there well pre- 
pared and exceedingly bright pupils, besides they were 
not allowed to take more than fifteen recitations a 
week, each of three-quarters of an hour, and as a rule 
they had less than that. 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 63 

During the first year I had only Freshmen, that is 
to say, pupils who took Algebra and Geometry, and 
one single Sophomore, who took Analytic Geometry 
and Calculus, who soon left, having obtained a posi- 
tion as teacher. In the second year, as you may see 
from the report of the Board of Regents, which I en- 
close, I had pupils in Quaternions, Rational Dynamics, 
Method of Least Squares, Cremona's Projective 
Geometry, etc. 

Hoping, gentlemen, that the Giver of all lights will 
enlighten your minds that you may clearly see your 
duty, and strengthen your will, that no earthly con- 
sideration will prevent you. from performing it, I re- 
main, gentlemen, 

Yours very respectfully, 

CHAS. VENEZIANI. 



Notre Dame, Ind., Jan. 21, 1899. 
Dr. Charles Veneziani, South Bend, Ind. : 

Dear Sir — I am authorized to state that your com- 
munication of the 20th instant, with enclosures, ad- 
dressed to the Board of Trustees of the University of 
Notre Dame, has been received. 

Having read and considered the same, it has by 
order of the Board been referred to the President of 
the university, who has exclusive authority to act in 
the matter. 

Herewith I return the enclosures, which were also 
r»ad and considered. Very sincerely yours, 

JAMES I. FRENCH, 
Secretary Board of Trustees Notre Dame Univer- 
sity. 



64 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

South Bend, Ind., March 2^, 1899. 
To the Board of Trustees of N. D. U., Notre Dame, 

Ind. : 

Gentlemen — Your answer to my communication 
was received. You referred me to the President of 
the University, who has fuh power to act in this mat- 
ter. I went to him and he told me my services will 
not be needed any longer at the end of the year, and my 
communication was an impudent one. I asked him 
what he thoug-ht abo"t our "chairs of Mathematics" ; 
he replied that the chairs of Mathematics have a real 
existence in the University of Notre Dame. I asked 
him whether he thoujoht my salary of $600 per year 
higherthan "we ever give for the first year" ; he replied 
that his statement about my salary is correct. To my 
question. "Do you mean to say that Dr. Egan was 
engaged on a salary less than $600?" he answered I 
could not compare myself with Dr. Egan. Hence I 
infer that the statement No. 4 of the President of N. 
D. U. in the affidavit is incorrect. As I have reasons 
to suppose that either my memory or that of the Presi- 
dent of N. D. U. is not to be trusted, I asked him to 
give me his answer in writing. He flatly refused to do 
so, but afterwards he told me he would do so later oji. 
I have not yet received his answer. The President of 
N. D. U. has left for Europe, hence I apply to you 
again to suggest to you a plan of action which seems 
to me the most equitable before God and men. 

I am afraid that you do not fully realize my position. 
The incorrect statements found in the letters of the 
President of N. D. U. have been the cause of my de- 
clining the best chance I ever had in my life. I mean 
the position in Purdue University. 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 65 

What I suggest is that the claims stated in my for- 
mer communication, as well as other claims which I 
have, be referred to Rt. Rev. Bishop L. Scanlan, of 
Salt Lake City, with full power to arbitrate ; that no 
papers shall be sent him unless previously submitted 
to the Rev. Dr. Zahm and seen by myself, that I may 
have an opportunity of answering any statement which 
may appear to me incorrect. A check of $200 shall 
accompany the documents sent to Bishop Scanlan as 
a fee for his trouble. I shall contribute $100 and you 
shall contribute the other $100, with the understand- 
ing that i shall repay you the $100 you contribute if 
Bishop Scanlan finds that all the claims of my first 
communication are groundless, that you shall repay 
me my $100 in case he decides in my favor. 

If you think, gentlernen, you have some better way 
of adjusting our difficulty I shall be pleased to hear 
from you. I wish to be clearly understood that whilst 
I abhor with all my heart and soul to take any steps 
which cannot fail to attract a widespread attention 
throughout the United States and will afford great 
pleasure to those who antagonize catholics, I do not 
intend to tamely submit to what I consider a rank 
injustice.* 

I wish you would reflect upon the responsibility 
which each and every one of you incurs. If you are in 
doubt about my claims, why not lay the matter before 
such an uninterested party ? If you are sure of being 
in the right, why be afraid of the judgment of a man 
of such sterling integrity, of such sound judgment, 
and such a friend of your order as Bishop Scanlan is ? 

I enclose an affidavit of Dr. Smart's letter and a leaf 

*NoTE.— At that time I thoug-ht I could enforce my claims. By doing- 
so it would have produced the scandal alluded to in this letter. 



66 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

from McMillan's Books Review, that you may see 
that the position of Purdue was actually filled by Ed- 
win M. blake. 

I remain, gentlemen, yours very respectfully. 

CHAS. VENEZIANI. 

Notre Dame, Ind., May 17, 1899. 
Mr. Chas. Veneziani, South Bend, Ind.: 

My Dear Sir — In an interview with you some 
months ago I told you that I would not need your 
services at the universily after the present scholastic 
year. 

You requested me to put this decision in writing, 
and I said I would do so before the close of the term. 

I, hereby, notify you again that your services will 
not be required after the closing of our school on 
fune 15, 1899. Smcerely yours, 

A. MORRISSEY, C. S. C. 
South Bend, Ind., June i, 1899. 
117 S. St. Louis St. 

Very Rev., A. Morrissey, C. S. C, President of the 

University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind. : 

My Dear Father Morrissey — Your letter of May 

17th, in which you notify me that you would not need 

my services after June 15th, is at hand. In the same 

letter I notice you made a big mistake, which is quite 

excusable, because, as once you told me on the 

veranda, you easily forget many things. In your letter 

I see "You requested me to put this decision in writing 

and I said I would do so before the close of the term." 

Allow me to tell you. Father Morrissey, that I am 

far more logical than you suppose. What you should 

have written is "You requested me to put this answer 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 67 

in writing, and I said I would do so before the close 
of the term." A word makes an immense difference, 
my dear sir, and you will soon see the reason. If you 
remember well the interview took place when I came 
to you in order to know the answer to my first com- 
munication to the Board of Trustees, who referred me 
to you, "who has exclusive authority to act in the mat- 
ter." I sent you a copy of my communication, and in 
the first line you may see that my object was to present 
some claims based upon statements to be found in 
your letters and of which I enclosed an affidavit. 
After having set forth my claims on page 4 you may 
read: "I beg to remind you, gentlemen, that I am 
open to conviction, and in case my reasoning does not 
seem correct to you I wish you would state the weak 
points, and if I perceive my mistake, you will find me 
quite amenable to reason." It is evident that what I 
wanted was an answer to my reasoning and what I 
requested of you was to give me in writing your verbal 
answer. 

However great may be the respect I have for you, I 
have a far greater respect for truth, and in this letter 
of mine I shall follow the example ■ of Adam, who 
called things by their right name. 

If you do not remember the verbal answer you gave 
me I am most willing to refresh your memory. You 
told me my services would not be needed at the end 
of the year, my letter was an impudent one because I 
wanted the chair of Mathematics without your giving 
it to me ; you told me the chairs of Mathematics have 
a real existence in the University of Notre Dame ; you 
said that the statement concerning my salary of $600 
per year being higher than "we ever give for the first 



68 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

year is correct, when I asked you: "Do you mean to 
say that Dr. Egan was engaged at a salary less than 
$600 per year?" You answered I could not compare 
myself with Dr. Egan ; you stated that my teaching 
was poor, and to my asking "Did you not tell me once 
that my teaching was very good ?" you answered you 
never said such thing to me. To my question, "Did 
you ever say to anybody that my teaching was so good 
that the university on this account increased my sal- 
ary?" you replied it would be impossible for you to 
have said such thing, since the university never in- 
creased my salary ; you expatiated on your great kind- 
ness in having promised me that I could remain here 
at Notre Dame as long as I had not found a more 
suitable place, when I answered that I did not see your 
kindness in taking away the teaching Dr. Zahm in- 
tended to give me during the vacations, and you replied: 
"How can you prove that? Besides, it is my duty to 
see what kind of men are employed at Notre Dame ;" 
and when I asked was the vacancy alluded to in state- 
ment No. I of the afihdavit that of Prof. McGris- 
kin, whose house you promised when you wrote about 
locating me nicely, you replied you did not wish to 
answer that question. 

This was the verbal answer I requested you to put 
in writing, because before you would have finished it 
you would have perceived so many contradictions and 
so many lies that the answer instead of being sent 
before the close of the term would not have been fin- 
ished before the close of your life. There is no need 
to be a Doctor of Philosophy of the University of 
Heidelberg and to have received the prize bestowed 
upon the best mathematical scholar in that great uni- 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 69 

versity in order to see the complete absence of sound 
logic in your verbal answer. 

In the first place, if you have promised that I could 
remain here until I found a better position, what great 
crime have I committed ' that you may break your 
promise? If I had had the misfortune, as it has been 
ordinarily the case with the teachers discharged in 
this institution, of being found drunk, or arrested for 
disorderly conduct, I could easily understand the 
necessity of discharging me ; but to suppose that be- 
cause I sent a communication to the Board of Trustees 
of the University of Notre Dame, stating my rights as 
I see them, you are exonerated from keeping your 
promise, I must frankly acknowledge that there is not 
only a lack of sound logic, but also a want of honesty, 
such as you would find in a heathen and certainly 
ought to be expected of a Christian, a priest, one who 
binds himself with three vows in order to reach heaven 
with more surety. 

Concerning the comparison with Dr. Egan, I an- 
swer that comparisons are odious, but the question 
here is whether my salary is higher than Dr. Egan's 
salary, and since it is not higher you lied when you 
wrote the statement that $600 is higher "than we ever 
give for the first year," and you know very well your- 
self that you were lying when writing such a statement, 
and that you were only confirming a lie when you 
asserted the truth of that statement. 

As to my communication being an impudent one 
because I want the chair of Mathematics in spite of 
you, I answer the question is whether according to 
your written statements I am entitled to it and I proved 
that I am. When you said "You never told me that 



70 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

my teaching was exceedingly fine" you were lying. 
As a matter of fact, I am ready to call God as a witness 
that you really said so, whilst you would never call 
God as a witness that you never said that, as you 
would not wish to become a perjurer. You most 
strenuously asserted that you never told anybody that 
my teaching was so good that the university increased 
my salary, but as I was told this by Mother S — ,* 
Mother Superior of the Novitiate of St. Mary's, who 
congratulated me for this good news she heard from 
yourself, you understand very well that I fully believe 
you said so, and moreover, Mother S — 's word is 
above suspicion- — not so yours. 

As to your reasoning that you could not have said 
so because the university never increased my salary, 
your reasoning proves just the contrary. My salary 
has been increased the difference of the house rent; 
this you granted Mrs. Veneziani, and Mother S — 
could never know that, unless you told her, and nat- 
urally when you speak you are liable to make a moun- 
tain out of a mole-hill. If you want some instances, I 
have no objection to quote two. Take for instance 
"our chairs of Mathematics in the University of Notre 
Dame." Any teacher here connected with Mathe- 
matics laughs at the idea of chairs of Mathematics in 
the university and one teacher asserts that it is the 
President of the university that holds the chair of 
Mathematics, meaning that it is the President who has 
the power of creating the chair of Mathematics, and 
yet you write and speak of chairs of Mathematics hav- 
ing a real existence with such earnestness that were 
it not that I am a specialist in Mathematics and have 



*Tlie fuU name is withheld ir: print. 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 71 

I 

been in the University of Notre Dame for the last three 
years you might really make me fall into the mistake 
of supposing that you are right, and were it not that 
I know positively that the teacher who according to 
the catalogue holds the chair of Mathematics does not 
teach one single branch of Mathematics connected 
with the University of Notre Dame and has nothing 
to do whatever with the Mathematics of the University 
of Notre Dame I might make the blunder of supposing 
that the University of Notre Dame has a chair of 
Mathematics. Another instance is the Romance lan- 
guages fake of the University of Notre Dame. When 
I was engaged you advertised the great acquisition 
the University of Notre Dame made by engaging your 
humble servant to take charge of the "Romance Lan- 
guages" Department. It served your purpose, which 
is "Videri, non esse," the great point is to appear, not 
to be. The only flaw I find in that advertisement is, 
firstly, there was no Romance Languages Department 
to take charge of, and secondly, I never was engaged 
to take charge of it. There is not a word concerning 
Romance Languages in your letters written to me. 
The fine point is that you gulled the public so well 
that some persons who must have known me praised 
highly the wisdom of the University of Notre Dame 
in bestowing upon me the chair of Romance Lan- 
guages. A chair paying $600 per year ! ! ! When lately 
there was a meeting of the faculty whilst you were in 
Europe I moved that the whole string about Romance 
Languages be stricken from the catalogue, as well as 
the words "Romance Languages" written under my 
name, because it is highly unbecoming for a catholic 
university to cheat the public, but I was told by the 



72 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

i 

chairman that Father Morrissey alone had that power, 
not the facuhy. Let us see what that increase of salary 
meant. When my family came to South Bend in No- 
vember, 1896, I engai^ed a house according to my 
salary of $600 per year, with the intention of moving 
into better quarters as soon as my salary was increased. 
When the proper time came I asked you how my 
teaching was and you told me it was exceedingly good. 
You had already let Mother S — know that you 
were pleased with my teaching and I had been ap- 
prised of it by Sister A — and Mother S— , who 
from the moment I met her in Salt Lake City al- 
ways took a great interest in my welfare. I was 
greatly surprised when a few days later, having asked 
you what would be the increase of my salary for the 
ensuing year, you answered that the university had to 
support the missions in India, hence no increase would 
be granted ; besides, my teaching was very poor, I 
could remain at the same salary. I wished to show 
you your letters, but you replied you knew everything 
in them. I showed you the letter of Dr. Smart, Presi- 
dent of Purdue University, and pointed you out these 
words : "Should I find it necessary to employ an 
additional instructor in Mathematics I will make you 
an of¥er." I showed you the McMillan's Books' Re- 
view where, just on the same page where was an- 
nounced my coming to take charge of the Romance 
Languages Department of the University of Notre 
Dame, is to be found the name of 'the additional in- 
structor of Mathematics ; and I told you that I might 
have been connected with Purdue University, but I 
had written Dr. Smart a few days after my arrival here 
that I did not wish to be considered any longer as an 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 73 

applicant since I was connected with Notre Dame. 
You replied that if I could see the prospect of a posi- 
tion in Purdue University from that letter of Dr. Smart 
I must certainly be a dreamer. I asked you then how 
you could say my teaching was very poor when only 
a few days before you told m.e it was exceedingly good. 
You answered by saying you never made such state- 
ment. It was then that Mrs. Veneziani, perceiving 
that I had been tricked by you, asked you for the 
difference of house rent which you granted and paid 
until March, 1898, included. When I presented you 
the next receipt due for house rent, after looking it 
over you remarked you had no time to give me an 
order for the money. Later on, when presented again, 
you told me to come tomorrow. I supposed you were 
very busy, and I waited several days. When I pre- 
sented the receipt again you told me I should have 
come the very next day. You added that you were a 
man of your word and the word you gave Mrs. Vene- 
ziani shall be kept ; this money, however, shall be paid 
together with my salary. I answered that Brother 
Edward, the Treasurer, had received orders from you 
not to pay me my salary, and I added, concerning the 
receipt for the diiYerence of house rent, if the bill is cor- 
rect it might as well be paid at once ; if there is any 
mistake please show it to me that we may square this ac- 
count. Your reply was, everything must be paid at the 
same time ; thus nothing was paid. For six months I 
did not draw a cent of my salary, until you asked me on 
the veranda whether I had been paid, and I answered 
that in the first place Brother Edward had received 
the order not to pay me, and afterwards you told me 
I could draw the three-fifths of my salary, but not a 



74 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

cent more, because I was not earning the rest, and as 
I would not accept the three-fifths I had not yet been 
paid. You answered, I might go now and draw the 
whole, and I did so. When, however, I presented you 
the receipt for the difiference of house rent you told 
me you did not agree with Mrs. Veneziani to pay 
more than $5 per month, I should tell her to come and 
see you. I answered you that as I did not send Mrs. 
Veneziani to you before, I do not intend to send her 
now ; if there is any mistake it is your fault, since when 
I presented you the receipt instead of postponing pay- 
ment under various pretexts, if you had made me this 
remark -I would not have engaged the house for a 
year, and I cannot afiford to lose money for your fault. 
You replied I am not worth any more than $600 per 
year, my intention was to grab the world, but you 
would not pay any more than $5 per month anyhow. 
After having thought over this matter, I concluded 
that I had been tricked and cheated quite enough and 
it was time to present my just claims to the Trustees 
of the University of Notre Dame. This is the increase 
you spoke of to Mother S — , as a reward for my 
good teaching ! ! 

Now that I have presented my just claims you 
thought the best way of answering was, not by using 
the rules of logic beginning with Barbara, but by using 
a rather barbarous method — that of chopping off the 
head of the claimant and thus silence him. You think 
that bv affirming my teaching is poor you have a right 
to set aside the just claims your letters have given 
me. I warn you, my dear sir, you are treading 
rather dangerous ground. Firstly, the question is not 
whether my teaching is good or bad ; the question is 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 75 

whether your written statements set forth in the affi- 
davit accompanying my first communication and on 
whose account I declined the Purdue University, are 
not a set of lies, and whether the university is not 
responsible for your writing as President. Suppos- 
ing even that my teaching is poor, as I am teaching 
Languages, it would not follow that my teaching 
Mathematics is poor, and as I am entitled to the chair 
of Mathematics your pretext would fall flat. Besides, 
from the testimonial of the Vice-President of the Uni- 
versity of Utah, my teaching of Mathematics is an 
ideal one, according to you my teaching of Languages 
is poor ; then why should you hesitate to give me the 
chair of Mathematics to which I am entitled ? By thus 
doing the University of Notre Dame would gain an 
ideal teacher of Mathematics and get rid of what you 
style "a poor teacher in Languages." When I asked 
you at the close of my first year whether I would have 
to teach Mathematics the ensuing year you answered 
that my services were needed to strengthen the Mod- 
ern Languages Department. No person could under- 
stand how (what you st3de) "a poor teacher" would be 
able to strengthen a Modern Languages Department 
in a university. There are three reasons, besides, why 
you should not slander my teaching, ist. Your testi- 
mony is worthless, having just told the contrary to 
Mother S — . 2d. I have in my possession irre- 
fragable proofs of the contrary. 3rd. The work itself 
is the best proof. My pupils, the beginners in German, 
on three recitations a week, of three-quarters of an 
hour each, at the end of the first year understand 
Schiller's Wallenstein and Goethe ; and you have only 
to elance at the catalogue to see the immense work 



76 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

the beginners in French did under nie last year, and 
they would have done still more were it not that you 
through your criminal weakness retarded the progress 
of my class. When my pupils needed a dictionary 
the Brother in the office refused to order the one I 
wanted for the class because he wished to dispose of 
some worthless dictionaries which the university had 
for sale. Whenever I told you about it, you would 
send me to the Brother, and meanwhile for several 
weeks the class could not do the work it would have 
done otherwise. At last I spoke to the Director of 
Studies about it and added that if the parents of the 
pupils had any conception of such shameful proceed- 
ings of the University of Notre Dame they would be 
indignant. The Director of Studies told me to come 
into the office the following day and he would see 
that the dictionaries were ordered ; thus what you left 
dragging for several weeks was dispatched promptly 
by the Director of Studies, and the dictionaries were 
ordered at once. Now, my dear sir, compare your 
criminal weakness in allowing a Brother who has no 
conception of French, but dictates under your very 
nose to the so-called Professor of Romance Languages 
of the University of Notre Dame what kind of French 
dictionaries must be used in the French class, to the 
detriment of the pupils — compare, I say, such criminal 
weakness in regard to thaf Brother with your criminal, 
idiotic and tyrannical proceedings toward the same 
Professor of Romance Languages on the occasion you 
requested me to take charge of the beginners in Latin. 
I told you I would take charge of that class as a favor, 
not as a duty, because we agreed that I would not 
have to teach beginners in Latin ; you answered it 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 77 

was true you had agreed that I would not have to 
teach beginners in Latin, but when you agreed you 
did not know you would ever need my services in that 
line, had you known it, you said, you would never have 
agreed, hence it is my duty to take charge of that 
class. I replied that I was unable to see the correct- 
ness of your reasoning ; as a favor I would take charge 
of the class, but not as a duty. Then began your 
threats, which you carried into execution. I should 
not draw any longer my salary, you would take away 
from me a private pupil I had, the teaching Dr. Zahm 
wanteu to give me during the vacations would be 
withdrawn ; an extra class which you had given me 
and for which I should be paid extra would be with- 
drawn. Utterly undismayed I repeated, "I don't see 
that 1 am obliged to take charge ol that Latin class on 
account of our previous agreement, still as a favor 
toward you I am willing to do so, as a duty never." 
What threats could never have extorted from me a 
good word did. A priest in the university requested 
me for the sake of peace to yield, and" I promised I 
would. I came to you a few hours later and told you 
I would take charge of the beginners in Latin, but 
you answered you needed my services no longer and 
that I should not go to teach that extra class you had 
given me, and for which you had promised me extra 
pay. I never thought you would demean yourself so 
low as to carry your threats into execution except 
so far as to take away the extra class, which you gave 
to the former porter of the University of Notre Dame. 
I was really astonished when I went to draw my 
salary, and I was told you had put an injunction on 
it. I soon perceived that you tried to take my private 



78 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

pupil away, but you did not succeed. Is there any 
need of proving that you withheld the teaching Dr. 
Zahm would have given me, when you yourself told 
me so? And are you not ashamed of bringing as a 
reason that you must see what kind of teachers are 
employed in Notre Dame, as if insinuating that there 
is something in my conduct which might lower the 
moral standard of those who come in contact with 
me. when the real motive was your spite? What kind 
of arithmetic did you use to infer that I was entitled 
to three-fifths of my salary when I was giving four 
lessons a day? Was it not yourself who forbade me to 
continue teaching the fifth lesson, alleging as a reason 
that the pupils were only waiters and too few in num- 
ber, and after you ordered me to discontinue this class 
with this fine reason you want to take away from me 
two-fifths of my salary. You know very well that I 
have a family to support and do you think it was right 
when the difTerence of house rent was asked over and 
over again to postpone payment with'pretexts of which 
a dead beat himself would be ashamed? I am per- 
fectl}'' convinced that no man in the country would 
ever believe that such things actually took place in 
the University of Notre Dame, the great catholic uni- 
versity of America, and still you know yourself that 
everything I am stating is correct. I wish you now 
to consider the way I stood under your unfair treat- 
ment. Instead of legally proceeding against the Uni- 
versity of Notre Dame for withholding my salary, and 
thus bring disgrace upon you, I bore everything con- 
sidering your actions as the antics of a spoiled child, 
who if only given some few months' time, and no 
notice taken of his sayings and doings, would come 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 79 

back to his senses and act more dutifully. As a mat- 
ter of fact, it was nearly six months after when you told 
me to go and draw my salary which you had withheld. 
It is true, you gave me much useless trouble, and you 
did also much real harm, but I had decided for the sake 
of peace, I would overlook many things. Had I been 
Father Morrissey, the President of the University of 
Notre Dame, and you Veneziani, instead of keeping 
your salary and then afterward claim that only three- 
fifths are due, I should have deemed it my duty, be- 
sides the claims set forth in the first communication, 
to pay you for the extra hours teaching since for sev- 
eral weeks I had seven recitations a day during '96-97. 
At the beginning of the scholastic year '97-98, I had 
six recitations a day for over a month. That lesson for 
which extra pay was promised, should not have been 
taken away to be given to the former porter of the 
university, and if I requested you for transla- 
tions from foreign languages, you certainly should 
have been paid either in money or in acts of kindness. 
Had I been the President of the University of Notre 
Dame, I would have remembered that when I wrote : 
"Our chairs of Mathematics are well filled at present, 
still it is possible that a vacancy will occur at the end 
of the year, and if it is the one I suspect, I would be 
able to locate you nicely." That phrase — locate you 
nicely — meant that in case of Prof. McGrisken leaving 
the university the house called the "Lilacs" was prom- 
ised to you, and you may rest assured that neither pre- 
texts nor lies would have been told by me in order to 
break my promise to you. I would not, after many 
subterfuges come out saying that the giving of the 
house lies with the Council, and you by going to Dr. 



80 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

Zahm, who is the President of the Council, might have 
found out, as I did, that the Council has nothing to do 
with the house ; that it lies entirely with the President. 
I would not have said to you that Brother Onesimus 
had the renting of the house, but since the university 
always got $15 per month rent, you could not expect 
to have it for less, and then you might go to Brother 
Onesimus, as I did, and you might hear that the uni- 
versity never got a cent rent, therefore, he said it should 
not be rented to the university Professors. Were I the 
President of the University of Notre Dame, and you 
the Professor of Romance Languages enquiring from 
me where you could find a stall for your horse, I would 
never have sent you to Father Connor, the Superior 
of the Novitiate for a stall, when Father Connor had 
scarcely room for his own horse, and I, the President 
of the university, had a number of places entirely va- 
cant. I would consider such advice the most idiotic 
joke played on Father Connor, as well as yourself, and 
when I, the President, am asked for a stall with the 
understanding it should be paid for, to answer NO, T 
should deem it not only uncharitable, but I should deem 
such a refusal as downright injustice, and if, besides, the 
inconveniences are taken into consideration to which 
I would expose you, the Professor of Romance Lan- 
guages, by refusing that which is granted to pupils liv- 
ing nearer the university, I would rightly classify such 
refusal amongst those mean, spiteful actions, which 
are a sure characteristic of the low standard of the 
intelligence, as well as the heart. 

What I have written is the reply to the verbal an- 
swer which I requested you to put in writing, and 
which you wisely refrained from doing. If I were 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 81 

alone in the world I would have no objection to give 
up the rights which 3'Our letters gave me. Having 
declined Purdue University for Notre Dame, to ac- 
cept my dismissal as an answer to my rights, I really 
think it would be treason on my part towards those 
who have claims upon me for their support. If you 
remember, you called me an unpractical man, and con- 
sequently it is very doubtful whether you will believe 
that this legitimate resistance on my part will be the 
cause of disgracing yourself, the university, the Con- 
gregation of the Holy Cross, throughout the length 
and breadth of the United States. This must neces- 
sarily happen, if you persist in your course, not 
through any vindictiveness of mine, but through the 
necessary development of those means of which I have 
to make use to protect myself from what I consider a 
rank injustice.* I wish to be very explicit on this point, 
because when that which I have just told you will ac- 
tually take place, I want you to remember that it is 
entirely due to not following the plan I will presently 
lay before you in order to adjust our differences. 

The Board of Trustees of the University of Notre 
Dame, having read and considered my first communi- 
cation, has referred it to you, who has exclusive au- 
thority in the matter. Your decision is final, if ac- 
cepted by me, and the university is legally bound to 
stand by your decision. I hope you will have no diffi- 
culty in agreeing with me that "nemo judex in causa 
propria" is an old proverb, in which there is a great 
deal of wisdom. What objection could you have to 
refer the whole matter to Archbishop Riordan of San 



*NoTE.— At that time I thought I could enforce my claims. By doing- 
so it would have produced the scandal alluded to in this letter. 



82 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

Francisco, who is a pupil of the University of Notre 
Dame, quite enthusiastic for his Alma Mater, and 
who would certainly not wrong the Congregation of 
the Holy Cross? What objection could you have to 
refer the whole matter to Bishop Scanlan of Salt Lake 
City, who is such a great friend of your order, as it is 
shown by the academies and hospital of the Congrega- 
tion of the Holy Cross in Utah? We are but men, 
my dear Father Morrissey, we can never entirely free 
ourselves from the frailties annexed to our fallen na- 
ture, and the last thing of which we can free ourselves 
is the inordinate love of self. 

The case of which you are constituted the judge is 
of such nature that one may rationally suppose that 
even in the hypothesis you have the best intention in 
the world of dealing fairly and squarely, you can not 
avoid some partiality, because you are too much in- 
terested in the sentence you have to pronounce. A 
judgment in my favor means that you have wronged 
me during these last three years, whether intentionally 
or unintentionally. 

Any reasonable man under such circumstances 
would be of the opinion that I have the right to refuse 
you for my judge, and that your duty is to let such 
judgment be pronounced by some other party. A man 
of such sterling integrity as Bishop Scanlan or Arch- 
bishop Riordan, not interested in the case, is more 
apt to be impartial, and I, for my part, am willing to 
submit entirely to his verdict. I leave you the choice 
of the one you prefer. As you cannot deny that you 
promised me that I can remain at Notre Dame as 
long as I have not found a more suitable place, I wish 
that this claim also should be submitted and that you 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 83 

should show causes which justify you in my dismissal. 
I am sorry that all I can afford to give as a fee is 
$200. I wish I could make it $2,000, but it is impos- 
sible. If you are willing to arbitrate the matter, we 
will easily arrange all further details. The only im- 
portant thing is, that we should wish that the whole 
matter should be settled according to justice, — for my 
own part I am willing; if you are also willing, you 
will apprise me which of the two you prefer as arbi- 
trator. Bishop Scanlan or Archbishop Riordan, and 
we will speedily succeed in settling our dift'erences. I 
will furnish myself the $200, which will be added to 
my claims, if I am right; if the judgment is against 
me, I am willing to lose them. 

Hoping that this suggestion will meet with your 
approbation, I remain, my dear sir, 

Yours very sincerely, 

CHAS VENEZIANI. 

South Bend, Ind., Sept. 5th, 1899. 
To the Board of Trustees, 

Of the University of Notre Dame, 
Notre Dame, Indiana. 

Gentlemen : — On March 23rd, 1899, I sent you a 
second communication in which, after having stated 
the result of my interview with the President of N. 
D. U., to whom you referred me in your answer to my 
first communication, as the one who has exclusive 
authority in the matter concerning my claims, I sug- 
gested that Bishop Scanlan, of Salt Lake City, be 
taken as arbitrator. No answer was vouchsafed to 
the second communication. 



84 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

On May 17th, I received a letter from the President 
of N. D. U., in which he notifies me tliat he does not 
need my services after June 15th. I enclose a copy 
of my reply to his letter, as it is intimately connected 
with the present subject. You will observe, in reading 
my reply, that I advocated that the whole matter be 
referred to either Archbishop Riordan of San Fran- 
cisco, who, as a pupil and friend of Notre Dame, 
would not certainly be inclined to wrong his Alma 
Mater, or to Bishop Scanlan of Salt Lake City, but 
the President declined to accept any arbitration what- 
ever concerning my claims, and repeated that my 
services would not be needed after June 15th. 

Well, my dear gentlemen, I intend in this third and 
last communication of mine to speak to you the truth 
and nothing but the truth ; there is a power in right 
which might alone cannot give, and which constitutes 
might in itself, and I feel within me that right and 
that might. One would reasonably expect from relig- 
ious people that their actions should be a model, a 
light to us laymen, and their honesty in business 
transactions above reproach. One would reasonably 
expect from the Board of Trustees of the University 
of Notre Dame, that its members would have enough 
conscience if a claim is presented by a teacher to make 
a thorough investigation for fear of incurring the 
curse of God for keeping a human being out of what 
is due to him. If the Board of Trustees of the Uni- 
versity of Notre Dame, instead of being composed of 
four priests and one brother, all five belonging to the 
C. S. C, was composed of four saloon keepers and one 
gambler, all five belonging to the A. P. A., I am fully 
convinced I would have found better consciences in 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 85 

their verdict concerning my claims. Consider the way 
you dealt with my first communication. If I had had 
any prospect of obtaining justice by applying to the 
President of the U. N. D., I would not certainly have 
applied "to the Board of Trustees ; and any board com- 
posed of conscientious persons, from the moment they 
legally represent the university before the State of In- 
diana, would have thought themselves morally bound 
to look into the matter and see whether the statements 
found in. the letters of the President of the U. N. D., 
and of which I enclosed an affidavit, give me the rights 
I claim or not. Instead of that, you answer: "Hav- 
ing read and considered the same (communication), it 
has, by order of the board, been referred to the Presi- 
dent, who has exclusive authority to act in the matter." 

There is nothing more absurd than such an answer 
of yours, if you except the one given by the President 
of the University of Notre Dame, who began it by 
dismissing me from the university, contrary to his 
promise that I could remain here as long as I had not 
found a more suitable place. You must certainly 
know that the President cannot dispose of over $ioo 
without the consent of others, as my claims are much 
higher, the President of Notre Dame does not have 
ex-officio exclusive authority to act in the matter. 

If your answer means that you confer upon him ex- 
clusive authority to act in the matter, then I simply 
observe that the validity of my claims implies that the 
President has wronged me during these last three 
years either intentionally or unintentionally, therefore, 
he is the defendant in this suit in which I am the 
plaintifif, and you, the judges, confer to the defendant 
exclusive authority to judge the claims of the plain- 



86 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

tiff! ! ! ! No Asialic couri: ever prostituted so low its 
sacred functions of dispensing justice, as did the Board 
of Trustees of the University of Notre Dame with 
such an infamous answer. 

Far from accepting the President of the University 
of Notre Dame as my judge, I denounce him before 
you as a first-class liar, a faithless man, a scoundrel, 
an unjust despot, and a low deadbeat. 

I brand the President of the University of Notre 
Dame as a liar, when he asserts that he never told me 
my teaching was very good, and I call God as wit- 
ness, that he did so. 

I brand the President of Notre Dame University 
as a liar, when he asserts he never told anybody that 
my teaching was so good that the University increased 
my salary, and I call as witness Mother S — , the 
Mother Superior of the Novititate of St. Mary's, who, 
when she congratulated me for this good news, told 
me, she heard it from Father Morrissey, himself, — and 
who shall dare to question the veracity of a Mother 
S— ? 

I brand the President of the University of Notre 
Dame as a liar, when he wrote that $600 is "higher 
than we ever give for the first year", and when he as- 
serts that the statement he wrote is correct, and I call 
as witnesses you all, members of the Board of Trus- 
tees of the U. N. D., beginning with you, Father Hud- 
son, President of the Board ; you. Father Connor, 
Vice-President; you, Father French, Secretary; and 
you. Brother Edward, Treasurer. You know very 
well that he lied, still, if you entertain any doubt, you 
may go and verify with your own eyes, and you must 
agree with me, that the President of U. N. D. was a 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 87 

liar when he wrote that statement, and a confirmed 
Har when he confirms the truth of that lying statement. 

I brand the President of the University of Notre 
Dame as a liar when he wrote about "our chairs of 
mathematics", and when asked about the truth of this 
statement he asserts that, the chairs of Mathematics 
have a real existence in the University of Notre Dame, 
since even the teachers of mathematics in Notre Dame 
laugh at the idea of there being chairs of mathematics 
in this university ; and if the President really believes 
that the chairs of mathematics have a real existence in 
Notre Dame, he is not a liar by no means ; he is only 
an ignoramus, not fit to be a teacher in a kindergarten, 
and I, who believed every word he was writing as 
Gospel's truth must not certainly suffer *for the utter 
ignorance of the President of the University of Notre 
Dame. 

I brand the President of the University of Notre 
Dame as a faithless man, for after having told me, I 
could remain here as long as I had not found a more 
suitable place, and I call God as a witness that he 
really told me so ; without alleging any cause, he 
thinks himself exonerated from keeping his word, and 
as he adopted this method in order to cheat me out 
of my claims, based upon his own letters, I openly 
brand him as a scoundrel. 

T brand the President of the University of Notre 
Dame as an unjust despot for having withheld my sal- 
ary for nearly six months without any hearing what- 
ever before the Board of Trustees, and having done, 
besides, as much harm as he could in his vindictive- 
ness, simply because, having asked me to take charge 
of a class of beginners in Latin, I told him I would take 



00 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

it as a favor but not as a duty, since we had agreed 

1 should not have to teach beginners in Latin ; and 
I brand him the more as an unjust despot, because a 
few hours later, at the entreaties of a priest who wished 
me to yield for peace sake, I went to the President and 
expressed my willingness to obey his orders, and still 
he executed his threats as far as he could. 

I brand the President of the University of Notre 
Dame as a low deadbeat, for, when I presented him 
the receipt of my house rent in order to cash the dif- 
ference as it had been agreed, he loudly proclaimed 
himself a man of his word, who keeps what he has 
promised, and his word shall certainly be kept ; but, he 
added, this ^difiference of rent must be paid, together 
with my salary, and thus nothing was paid for six 
months, and to my entreaties that he might as well give 
me an order for the money due, if the bill is correct, 
and if not correct he should show the mistake, he an- _ 
swered, that everything must be paid at the same time. • 
and thus nothing was paid. - p 

These are the reasons why I cannot accept the Pres- 
ident as a Judge concerning my claims founded on his 
letters, and should you persist in denying me justice, 
or, in refusing to have the matter referred to either 
Arch Bishop Riordan or Bishop Scanlan with the un- 
derstanding that I shall enclose $200 fee to be lost if I 
am found to be in the wrong, to be added to my claim 
if I am right, I shall have these reasons published in 
the newspapers in order to start a fund to legally fight 
the University of Notre Dame, and should you enter- 
tain the least doubt about the truth of my denuncia- 
tions I defy you to prosecute me. 

Remember, gentlemen, that I am not here begging 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN. 89 

any favors of you, and that I am rather conferring a 
favor upon you in directing your attention to the mis- 
take you have made, and by offering you the opportu- 
nity of correcting the gross injustice you have done 
me. 

My first communication is still in your hands, my 
second was never read at any meeting of yours, and 
as to my third, I hope you will act according to truth 
and justice. The worst hypocrisy of man is to en- 
deavor to hide a gross injustice with the cloak of jus- 
tice, of order — harmony. 

Religious congregations have been repeatedly per- 
secuted, robbed, and banished, still I doubt whether 
such low, stupid and hypocritical means were ever 
practiced against them as you used in your answer to 
me : To appoint as a judge the man who did me the 
injustice ! ! ! Such proceeding is the more blamable 
because, having full confidence in your honesty, I tried 
in my first communication to logically set forth my 
rights, and after my reasoning, I appeal to you to show 
me my mistake if you find any, with these words, 
"I beg to remind you, gentlemen, that I am" open to 
conviction, and in case my reasoning does not seem 
correct to you, I wish you would state the weak points, 
and if I perceive my mistake you will find me quite 
amenable to reason." 

How was my reasoning answered? The President 
to whomi you referred me, notifies me that he does not 
need my services. Poor logic, the question is of 
rights, and not of needs. I have a right to the chair of 
Mathematics, and I intend to have it. I have a right 
to a salary "higher than we ever give for the first 
year", and it shall be given. 



90 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 

The mere fact that you do not wish any arbitration 
from such men as Archbishop Riordan or Bishop 
Scanlan, shows quite clearly that you are convinced 
that I am right, and you are wrong. 

From the moment Adam fell, mankind began to 
use pretexts to excuse their wrong doing, Adam setting 
the example by pointing out to Eve, who, according 
to him, seemed to have had "exclusive authority in 
the matter". Do I need to remind you that it is you, 
not the President, who have exclusive authority in 
the matter, and it is to you, that I apply for redress ? I 
should not wonder if you would say. It has always 
been the policy of the Board to leave full authority to 
the President in all matters concerning the relations 
of teachers with the university, because good har- 
mony is indispensable to the attainment of good re- 
sults in educational matters. My answer would be, 
that in the first place my teaching in the University of 
Notre Dame has been very successful, and I like har- 
mony as well as any man, and in the present case more 
than the President and the Board of Trustees do. I 
am in full harm.ony with the statements of the Presi- 
dent to be foimd in his letters, but, unfortunately, he 
is not in harmony with his statements, and what is 
worse, his statements are not in harmony with truth, 
and you are not in harmony with justice, when you do 
not compel the president to harmonize with his written 
statements. Let the statements be made true, that is 
to say, let my salary be "higher than we ever give for 
the first year", let the chair that best suits me be given 
unto me, and, of course. I choose the chair of Mathe- 
matics, and I am in full harmony with the President 
of the Universitv of Notre Dame. 



CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN- 91 

If what I heard is true, the venerable Sorin and 
Father Corby said that it was the pohcy of the Uni- 
versity of Notre Dame to never discharge a teacher as 
long as he fulfilled his duties as teacher, and did not 
give any bad example as man. This policy seems to 
have been cast aside and now, a teacher is discharged 
as soon as he claims his rights, based upon statements 
to be found in the letters of the President of the Uni- 
versity. 

I hope that such loose policy, more in harmony with 
a soulless and heartless corporation, than with a relig- 
ious congregation, will not meet with your approval. 

I Hope that you will do me full justice, and heartily 
hope that I shall not be compelled to give publicity to 
this matter. I remain, gentlemen. 



' Very sincerely yours, \ / 

CHAS. VENEZIANL. 



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